Only Time Knows Reposted
by vadersangel123
Summary: Life for the Prince, Farah and Kaileena after WW is not as glorious as they thought, when a mysterious new enemy appears. COMPLETED!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Prince of Persia. They all belong to Ubisoft.

I've changed the time span between Sands of Time and Warrior Within to three years.

Only Time Knows

Prologue

A year before Warrior Within

The hall was packed with family and friends. Even outside, the citizens of India crowed around the entrance to the palace, each wanting to get closer to see what was happening. But, right now, there was nothing to see, yet still they pushed and squeezed through one another.

Inside, the hall was decorated with hundreds of flowers and candles. It was such a beautiful sight. At the front of the room, a young man eagerly awaited the beginning of the celebration when his life would forever be changed.

Upstairs, however, the young, twenty-one year old princess stared at herself absently in the mirror. Her handmaids were squabbling over her, making final adjustments on her hair and makeup, and straightening out the finest of wrinkles in her white dress. But there was really no need to do so; she could not have looked more beautiful if she were actually an angel. And yet, she did not feel beautiful. She felt ugly, like the most horrifying hag ever to live upon the earth.

It was her wedding day, and she should have been happy, but Farah was more depressed than she had ever felt before. She had feared this day would come, and now it was here.

"I wish to be alone for now," she said expressionlessly to her handmaids. They bowed and obeyed, leaving the princess alone. Farah walked out onto the balcony that opened from her bedroom. She gazed down at all the people standing around the palace. They were all here to see her get married.

She turned away and instead looked out at the rising sun on the horizon. She knew it was her duty to marry this prince. To become queen and bear a child who will in turn carry on the royal blood line. But, just because she knew she had to do it, didn't mean she _wanted_ to.

As a young child, her mother, before she died, used to tell Farah stories before she fell asleep at night. Stories of princesses who fell into deep sleeps after being pricked by spinning wheels or eating poisonous apples. Princesses who were saved from dragons and beasts by daring handsome princes who risked their lives for their true love and eventually lived happily ever after. She had always dreamed that she would be one of those princesses. Okay, she didn't expect to be rescued from fire breathing dragons, but simply to marry her true love and live happily ever after.

She'd put marriage off as long as she could, telling her father that one was to bossy, or another was too dense, or another possessed to much vanity. She'd managed to do so for three years. But finally, she gave up, knowing that her prince was long gone, most likely married himself.

Farah had met him once. And from the moment her eyes fell upon him she knew he was the one she'd forever dreamed about since she was a little girl.

It had been three years ago, when she was eighteen. Her father's evil vizier was planning to betray them, and lead an army of Persian soldiers in an invasion. But the King's son had snuck into her room late one night and told her the most interesting story of what would happen, should the Vizier succeed in his betrayal. He'd then saved her when the Vizier attempted to murder Farah herself and make it look as if the Prince had done it. After he killed the Vizier, the Prince left her standing alone on her balcony confused. For just before he disappeared beneath the foliage, she'd asked his name. He replied by saying, "Just call me…Kakolukia."

Farah had been so stunned when he said that. Kakolukia was a made up magic word her mother told her when she was younger. It had been their word that only they knew. How had he known it? Unless…he story was not just a story. Unless it had been _real_.

She sighed. She may never truly know if he'd been telling the truth, because, while her mind told her it was crazy, her heart told her otherwise.

Whether it was real or not, Farah believed that she loved the Prince. She'd felt safe when he was with her, even if it was for such a short time, and when she'd looked into his eyes, she'd felt a connection that she had never felt with anyone else.

A gentle knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. It was the Maharajah, her father.

"Farah are you ready? We are ready to begin," he said.

She nodded without turning to look at him; she did not want him to see the tears that were beginning to form. "I'll be right there," she said quietly.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes Father."

"You don't seem very happy, and this is your wedding day."

Finally she turned to look at him. She wanted him to know what upset her so much. "How can I be happy?" she asked, "I don't even love the man I'm supposed to live the rest of my life with. This is just the day that will make it official that I can never be with the man I love, the man who's waiting for me…somewhere."

"Farah…I had no idea you felt this way," her father said.

"I tried to tell you so many times."

He walked over to her and threw his arms around her shoulders. She began to weep into his shirt.

"Oh Farah, I'm so sorry."

"I don't want to do this. I can't marry him," she said.

"And you don't have to."

Farah looked up at her father, confused. "What?"

"I'm not going to force you to marry him if you do not want to. Marriage should be between two people who love each other." He leaned close to her, as if telling her a secret. "If you remember, your mother wasn't a princess. She worked in the kitchens, she was a servant."

"But you married her, even though your father was outraged."

"Because I loved her. And now, I'm letting you do that."

"But how will I find him?" Farah asked. The Maharajah smiled at her, "I think you already know. I'll miss you Farah, and I hope you will one day return, once you've found what you're looking for. I'd love to meet my future son-in-law, and hopefully, my future grandchildren."

She smiled and cried again, this time, because she was happy. "But, what about the wedding?"

"Don't worry about that. I'll settle everything. You just get yourself ready. You may leave whenever you want, but I advise that it should be soon, when you can slip out unnoticed. You know those types of people, gossips who will certainly want to milk this for all it's worth."

"Incase I don't see you before I leave," Farah said. She gave her father a huge hug, tears rolling down her face, "Good bye. I love you Daddy."

"I love you too Farah," he said, crying as well.

A few minutes later, Farah was taking her dress off and putting on a more comfortable outfit. She packed away a change of clothes and snuck down into the kitchen to grab enough food and water to last for a few days. Returning upstairs, she packed that away with her clothes in a small rucksack. She slipped outside, down a tree and headed towards the stables.

After finding a horse she liked, she mounted him and took one last look at the only home she'd ever known, and galloped off into the desert.

Twelve days and four detours later, Farah finally reached her destination. And at a good time too. She was beginning to hate the desert sand and especially the heat. This was _not_ the way a princess lived.

So when she spotted the outskirts of the city mere yards away, her heart leapt with joy. She urged her horse to go faster until they entered the city. She was now in the famous city: Babylon. On one of her detours, she'd asked a few of the residents where she may find the son of King Sharaman.

"_You will not find him at the palace though. The Prince only goes to the palace to sleep, and that's only occasionally. Usually he wanders the streets by himself. He doesn't like company. Why would someone as beautiful and kind as you want to find the Prince? He's a mean, arrogant man and doesn't welcome strangers," an old woman said._

"_You must be mistaken. I've met him and he's very kind," Farah said._

"_That may have been the case long ago; now, he is only kind to one person. This mad old man who lives deep within the city. Insane, some say. He plays around with magic, not a wise thing to do around here."_

Farah had thanked the woman for the information though it seemed to Farah that _she _was the insane one. How could that man she described _possibly_ be the Prince? Well, she'd find out sooner or later. First, she needed to find this Old Man the woman spoke of. He would surely know where to find the Prince, and she didn't feel comfortable asking the palace staff, they'd ask too many questions.

She left her horse near a small lake just outside the city and wandered through the busy streets of Babylon. She continued to ask around for directions to the Old Man's home and when she found it, it was not at all what she was expecting.

It was a small red tent pitched up in a clearing in the heart of the city. The tent was thin and patched in places and did not look like the home of a wealthy man. She peeked her head in and called out to see if anyone was home.

"Hello?"

"Who's there?" a raspy old voice asked.

"My name is Farah and I am looking for someone," she said, not knowing where the voice originated from, "Is this the home of the Old Man?"

Finally, he came into view. "Yes, I am the one they all call the Old Man. Did you say your name was Farah? The Princess of India?"

She nodded, surprised that he knew who she was.

"Come in," he said approaching her. He showed her to what seemed to be the living room and sat down on some cushions that were placed on the floor. "Please, sit, make yourself at home."

Farah did so, sitting across from him. She was a bit nervous; the Old Man frightened her a bit. He wore all red, and he has a thinning grey beard, but it was his eyes that scared her the most. They were not white, like a normal human's. They were black and the iris was red instead of the usual brown, green or blue. But while he scared her, she felt comfortable with him. He seemed really nice and wise.

"I was not expecting you to come here. But it is a great honour that you have. I have looked forward to meeting you."

"You have?" she asked.

"Yes, the Prince has told me so many wonderful things about you," the Old Man replied.

Farah felt her heart skip a beat, "The Prince? He's been here?"

"Yes, he comes here quite often. I've known him since he was…oh, an infant. He's like a son to me."

"I actually came here looking for him."

"Yes, yes, I expected that."

"How exactly do you know him?" she asked.

"Well, when the Prince was four, his mother died, may she rest in peace. The King had no time to raise four children all on his own, what with all the political business he was involved with, so he asked me and my wife if we could raise them and give them the love they needed. We accepted of course, since we could not have children of our own and they needed us. They were happy here, the Prince and his three older sisters, and when they all came of age, the returned home to the palace. The girls came by once in a while, but the Prince came by almost every day, simply to tell us how his day was. It seemed he didn't _want_ to leave," the Old Man laughed.

Farah smiled, "Where is your wife now?"

"Oh, she died about a year ago. A devastating time in my life, as well as the Prince's and his sisters' lives. She was like a mother to them."

"Oh…I'm sorry."

"So am I." Changing the subject, the Old Man said, "So you, young princess, I heard you were to be wed, but here you are, in search of another man. Do you love him as he has loved you?" he asked with a mischievous grin.

She looked up at him. Did he say what she thought he said?

As if reading her mind, the Old Man said, "Ah yes, I know all about you, and what you once had with the Prince. Like I said, he told me all about you. When he'd returned from his adventure with his father years ago, he told me all about his little quest, and the lovely woman who accompanied him. His journey…to return the Sands of Time to their Hourglass."

"You mean…?"

"Yes, it was real. I would never doubt him. But you…you've known all along haven't you? But you wouldn't allow yourself to believe him" he said.

"In my heart…I always wanted to believe it, but my mind, my logic kept telling me that it was impossible that such a thing could every happen."

"The heart never forgets love, and true love can _never_ be erased, not even by Time."

"Do you know where the Prince is now? I wish to see him," Farah said.

"No, I'm sorry; he didn't tell me where he was going. That's the thing about him, he's very independent. Never relying on anyone but himself. He's changed over the passed two years." The Old Man seemed sadder now. "But, I think he should be coming by later today, he comes by everyday lately. Do you have anywhere to go?"

"No," Farah admitted, "Coming here was just a sudden idea I had; I guess I didn't think about what would happen once I actually got here."

"I just asked because you seem a bit tired."

"Yes, I am feeling a bit fatigued and I've got a headache, but not too serious. It must be due to all the sun I've gotten in the past few days."

"Here," he offered, "I can give you something for that headache. It will make you sleepy for a little while, you can rest in the back room if you'd like. And tomorrow I can see if there is anything I can do to get you proper accommodations, rather than this ratty old tent."

"Oh, I couldn't impose-" she began.

"Nonsense. It's the least I could do for you Princess."

Finally, she gave in. "Alright, I suppose I could take a little rest. After all, I don't really have any place to be. Oh, and can you please not call me 'Princess', I feel too snobby when I'm called that. Like I deserve special privileges when I don't."

The Old Man laughed. It was a bit rough, as if he hadn't laughed in years. Farah felt bad for him. He must've been so lonely.

Carrying her rucksack over her shoulder, she went into the back room as the Old Man prepared relief for her pounding head.

Later that night, long after the sun had set. The Prince returned to the Old Man's tent.

"Hello? Is anyone home?" he called before entering.

"Yes, yes," the Old Man said in a hushed voice, "Cyrus, I'm right here."

"Why are you being so quiet?" he asked, tucking a loose strand of his, now black, hair.

"I've got company, and she's asleep in the other room."

"Oh, well, anyway, I'm sorry for coming by so late. I've had another rough day. Father's getting worse. It doesn't look too well."

"I'm sorry," the Old Man said. He and the Prince sat down on a couple of cushions. "Would you like some tea?"

"No thanks," the Prince replied, "I'm not staying long."

"You seem distressed. Your father's failing health hurts you, doesn't it?"

He nodded, "I… I'm not ready for this. I've already been through this once, with my mother: Watching her slowly die and there was not a damn thing I could do about it."

"You were a boy, Cyrus. And even now, you are only a man. Leave the fate of others in God's hands."

"I still feel so helpless. Why do I keep losing everyone? I had the power to save them before, but even that was not enough!" he said.

"Hush, you're just upsetting yourself more. Try to relax," said the Old Man to the Prince, as if he were a young child again, scared by the monsters under the bed.

"And now I'll have to be King. I'll have to get married, and have my own family and take over everything. I can't handle that right now, not with this _thing_ after me. It's all too overwhelming."

The Old Man didn't reply. There was nothing he could say. The Prince was all alone; no one could possibly know what he was feeling. He was fighting a war, but not one with an enemy country. This war was one within himself. It was the Prince verses the dragon that lived within his very heart, slowly devouring his soul until there was nothing left but darkness.

Farah turned over in the heap of blankets that was considered a bed. She felt so weak, like a baby kitten that'd just been born. She heard the sound of voices. The Old Man's and someone else. This stranger's voice was deep and hard and edged with an ever constant anger that was not directed at anyone in particular. It was horribly familiar, even if it had changed somewhat.

She sat up and gazed out down the hall through the door which had been left ajar. She could just see the back of the stranger as he moved in front of her field of vision.

He was a tall man with broad shoulders covered in a cloak. His black hair was long and cut unevenly, as if cut by the blade of a sword, and was filthy. Whoever he was, it seemed he did not even have the time to bathe on a regular basis.

Farah got up, letting the blankets fall at her feet. She flattened the creases that had formed in the baby blue nigh dress she had been wearing and combed her fingers through her tangled black hair.

As she got closer to where the Old Man and the visitor were, he heart began to beat faster. The Old Man spotted her and smiled, confirming her untold questions. The stranger, however, did not know she was there, since his back was to her.

Farah let out a deep breath and finally spoke, "Hello…"

When he heard her voice, he didn't believe it was real. It was the voice he heard only in his dreams. A shiver ran down his spine and he didn't dare move, lest he wake up with the realization that it _was _only a dream.

"Oh, I think I forgot to drop off someone's medicine. So, if you'll excuse me…" the Old Man said not too discreetly. He left silently leaving the two of them there.

Finally, the Prince turned to her. His heart leapt when he saw that it was her.

"Farah…?"

She smiled. "Yes, it's me. It's good to see you again."

The Prince opened his mouth, attempting to speak, but nothing came forth. He approached her, still convinced that this wasn't real, that she wasn't here and he was going insane.

Farah tried to suppress a giggle, "It's alright. I'm really here. See?" She reached out and rested her hand on his arm to show him that she was in fact here.

Not knowing what exactly to say, he said, "I…thought you were getting married. That's what I heard anyway."

"I was." Farah said, "But I decided not to go through with it. I remembered a young man I had once met, who saved my life and perhaps my whole world. I needed to see him again, because…I think I am in love with him."

And for the first time since she'd seen him again, the Prince's face saddened. "Well, I'm sorry then, but you won't find him."

Farah was confused. He did know she was talking about him, didn't he? The Prince turned away. "The man you once knew is dead."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm who I used to be, not anymore."

She took his hand and hugged him. "I don't care."

This surprised him. "What?"

"You can say you've changed, but I know the real you, the one I knew so long ago, is still in there somewhere. I've of you, and your adventures, your victories in war. They all say you're heartless, that you slaughter enemies without remorse. That you're arrogant and a loner, but I know better," she said.

"They are right. I am all those things. And I hate it. But I can't do anything about it, it's who I am now: a heartless monster just like that which haunts me every night," he said mostly to himself.

Farah grew angry. "I didn't come all this way to find a prince who was a coward. That's not who I knew and loved."

"Then you've wasted your time!" he shouted. Sighing, he apologized, "I'm sorry Farah. I'm not mad at you. I didn't mean to yell. I know you're only trying to help."

"Then let me," she said desperately.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Prince of Persia. They all belong to Ubisoft.

I've changed the time span between Sands of Time and Warrior Within to three years.

_Italic text is used for thoughts, dreams and flashbacks._

Only Time Knows

Chapter One: These Strange New Feelings

_A year or so passed, and the Prince allowed Farah to help him in the only way she knew how: To be supportive and loving. He arranged for her to stay in the palace with him, much to the disapproval of his father, who was not keen on the idea of a woman living there when she was unmarried. _

_They kept their relationship secret for the time being, the Prince had insisted on it. Usually, it was just a couple nights a week, and every so often they'd spend a day together somewhere where no one could see them._

_The Prince found that slowly, he was softening again. He was making more silly comments and he was generally happy more often._

_But it was all short lived when the Prince began to return home later and later each night. _

_Farah began to worry, and one night, when dawn was only about an hour away, she decided to speak up._

_The Prince returned exhausted, almost unable to stand up. Farah ran to his side and helped him sit down._

"_Are you okay?" she asked._

"_I'm fine," he lied. _

"_You're not fine," she said, "What's going on? Please tell me."_

"_It's just…" he decided to tell her. She needed to know. "For quite a while now, I've been… chased…by this unstoppable monster. There's nothing I can do to stop it. I tried speaking with the Old Man, and he told me, that this creature was called the Dahaka. It's the guardian of the Timeline."_

"_What does it want with you?" Farah asked, her voice edged with worry._

"_It wants me dead. Apparently, when I released the Sands of Time, I was supposed to die. But I survived, and that created a rift in the Timeline. So now, the Dahaka pursues me, so it can fix this problem with my death."_

"_What will you do?"_

"_I…did have a plan. But you might not approve."_

"_What is it?"_

_He got up and went outside, letting the cool evening breeze cool him down. "I thought that perhaps if the Sands of Time never existed, the Dahaka will have no need to kill me. And the Old Man told me that when your father found the Sands, he also found portals that one could use to go back through time. So, maybe, if I go back in time and stop the creation of the Sands, I will, in turn, never open them and the problem will be fixed."_

_Farah didn't like the sound of this idea. It was too dangerous. But it seemed even more dangerous if he didn't do it. He was skilled, but even he couldn't stop something like the Dahaka: it sounded too powerful._

"_You should go."_

_This wasn't the answer he'd been expecting. He'd thought up the perfect argument. _

"_What?"_

"_You should go," she repeated. "I can't lose you. At least this way…you've got a chance. What have we got to lose?"_

"_Wow, I didn't expect you to be so calm about it. And to think, I only want to do this for you."_

"_For me? What do I have to do with any of this?" she asked._

"_When the Old Man told me that I was supposed to die, I began to think that maybe you were supposed to die too, when you…" he didn't really want to think about it. He opened his hand and looked at the scar that was still there after all this time. "let go of the Dagger. And if the Dahaka is after me, maybe it'll go after you. And I am not about to let you suffer for something I did."_

_Farah didn't reply. There really weren't words to describe how much love she felt for him after hearing that. She just closed her eyes and held him silently._

_The next day, the Prince had a ship and crew ready. They were going to go to the Island of Time to stop the Empress of Time from creating the Sands of Time._

_Farah came with him to the docks. _

"_I'll be back soon, I promise," the Prince said hugging her._

"_I know. And I'll be right here waiting for you," she said. "But before you go, I want you to have something…"_

_She knelt down in front of him and took off her necklace. Taking the amulet off the chain, she inserted it into the chest plate of the Prince's armor._

"_What are you doing?" he asked._

_Getting up she said, "This amulet will serve as protection against anything you may encounter there. It has special powers you can use if you need. And also…it's a reminder of me."_

"_I'll always remember you, with or without an amulet."_

_The crew began to board and the Prince knew he would be leaving soon. He gave Farah one last kiss, and prayed that he would be able to kiss her again, that he would return victorious. _

"_I love you," he said._

"_I love you too," she answered, allowing a few tears to fall from her eyes. "But while you're there… forget me. You need to focus on the task at hand, and that is stopping the Empress."_

_He nodded and hesitated before boarding the large ship. As it left port, he glanced back at her and said quietly, "I will succeed and then you live happily ever after, as we were meant to…"_

The Prince looked out at sea and let out a deep breath. Finally, he was returning home, to where Farah was waiting. He couldn't wait to hold her again, and tell her his story; of how he vanquished the Dahaka and now they had nothing to fear.

"Cyrus? Are you okay?" a voice asked, "You're kind of quiet."

The voice startled him and he turned to his companion. Kaileena, the former Empress of Time, sat behind him on a wooden bench they'd built into the ship.

"Yes, I'm alright. Just…thinking."

"About what?" she asked.

"What I'll do when we get home."

"Oh," she said, a bit sadly. She gazed over her shoulder in the direction they came from, where the Island of Time lay, hidden by thick blankets of fog.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing…I guess I'm just a bit homesick," Kaileena replied. "The Island wasn't the best home, but it was still my home. It's the only place I've ever known. There I belonged, now…I feel so out of place."

The Prince sat down beside her and took her hand in his. "Don't worry. I'll give you a good home in Babylon. Like I said; you can begin a new life, and leave this evil one behind you. There's nothing for you back there."

"Well, considering you killed everyone who lived there," she pointed out.

"They weren't real!" he argued lightly, "They were like sand castles you made on the beach, only alive and much angrier. They were like angry, living sand castles wielding weapons."  
Kaileena laughed and the Prince had to admit she had a nice laugh. Light and carefree, but odd. She must not have laughed much before.

"But that's beside the point. The point is here and now. Forget about that place, and look forward to the life that awaits you."

Kaileena smiled and said, "I'll try."

He got up and headed down the stairs that led to the cabin.

"Where are you going?" Kaileena asked.

"Just down to clean up. I left some stuff on the floor, ropes and extra wood," he replied.

Kaileena didn't follow. She enjoyed being out in the wide open air. It was relaxing. She got up and walked over to the edge of the ship and leaded over the railing. Ocean water sprayed in her face and she laughed with happiness.

Suddenly, from down below, the Prince heard a splash.

"Oh no! Kaileena!" he raced up the stairs and looked around the deck for her. "Kaileena!"

"Down here!" she called. But she did not sound alarmed, or scared. She sounded…happy?

He leaned over the edge and looked down into the water. With a wide grin on her face, Kaileena was treading water slowly.

"You scared me," the Prince said, "I thought you'd fallen over board."

"No. You're such a worry wart Cyrus. Learn to have some fun. C'mon!" she said and waved for him to join her.

"No thanks. You have your fun; I'm not much of a swimmer."

Kaileena shook her head, disappointed, but continued to swim alone, vanishing for moments beneath the surface.

He went back down to the cabin to finish putting the rest of the supplies away.

Kaileena grew bored and teleported herself back onto the ship. She headed down to the cabin as well.

"Kaileena," the Prince said, "Now look at you, you're soaking wet."

"Oh my god," she said, "You sound like a father."

"I'm just worried about you," he said.

"Why?"

"I… have my reasons," he replied, his hand briefly moving to the amulet in his armor. "Here, you need to get out of those clothes before you catch cold."

"Sorry, I hardly know you," she joked.

"Oh ha ha," he replied sarcastically. He tossed her a blanket and turned away, waiting for her to finish changing.

Kaileena let her dress drop to her feet and stepped out of it. At first, she felt a bit nervous, standing there naked with him in the room. But then, she felt something odd. A part of her was glad he was here. But quickly she shook her head and wrapped herself in the blanket and hung her dress up to dry.

"It's okay now, I'm covered," she said.

The Prince paused a moment, then turned. "When we reach land, I'll order some clothes made for you," he said.

Kaileena sat down on a bunk that she used as a bed for the passed three nights they'd been at sea. "Where did you get that amulet?" she asked. She'd always been curious. It gave him the powers of Time and yet, she had not made it. At least…not yet.

"It was given to me."

"Oh… by whom?"

"Just someone who is special to me. It's kind of like a reminder of her," he replied untangling a rope.

Kaileena felt her heart drop when he said "her". "You seem sad when you speak of her. Who is she?"

"She's a princess. I met her three years ago. I haven't seen her since I left for your Island."

"She seems to mean a lot to you," Kaileena said. She got up and sat next to him.

"She does. She was there when I released the Sands of Time. We were two of the only three survivors. At first we couldn't stand each other. But then, over time, I realized that I cared. I cared since the moment I met her, but I didn't admit it to myself. But once, I heard her say that she loved me, when she thought I couldn't hear. I couldn't stop thinking about what she said."

"Did you ever tell her how you felt? And did she tell you?" Kaileena asked.

"No, not really. We'd gotten trapped in a tomb when I made a mistake, one that now; I wish I could take back. We got separated and I found her again a little while later. She died to help me and when I finally undid everything, she didn't remember me or what we'd had. Now, she's back, and she wants to remember, but I don't think she truly believes, and I don't think she ever really will." He decided to keep their first night together to himself.

"Wow, I've never heard such a tragic story," Kaileena said. How much he must've loved her. It amazed Kaileena. Would anyone ever love her like that? Would she ever love anyone like that herself?

_You already do, _a voice inside her said. She glanced over at the Prince and wondered if the voice was right. Did she love this man? The one who had set out to destroy her and who she, in her own way, wanted him dead as badly? She'd never felt love for anyone before. She felt desire, it was true, but that was easily fed by being pleasured by her minions, usually the executioners who resided in the prisons, sometimes by her keepers and rarely by raiders, since they were quite stupid and not very good when it came to that.

But what she felt now, was not lust. It was something different. The physical attraction she felt for the one who'd saved her from the hell she lived was almost unimportant. She wanted to feel what this princess felt, to be loved so much by someone that they'd die for you.

Silently, Kaileena returned to her own bed and decided to rest. All these new thoughts were splitting her head.

Babylon, during Warrior Within

Farah tossed in her bed but found that sleep was not going to come to her. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Getting up she walked outside onto the balcony into the night air. The smell of lilacs hung low in the humid air and Farah gazed out in the direction of the sea. He'd been gone an awfully long time, she hoped he was okay.

There was a sudden knock at the door. Farah opened the door and saw a young servant standing on the other side, red faced and gasping for air.

"M'lady, the King wishes to see you. It's urgent. There has been a devastating discovery," the young boy said.

Grabbing a robe to cover herself better, Farah followed the young servant down to the courtyard outside. There a group of soldiers were waiting to accompany her down to the docks.

King Sharaman was waiting for her there. There was a sad look on his face.

"What's going on Your Highness?" she asked completely confused.

"I have some…terrible news," he replied. He led her down to the beach where some debris had been washed ashore along with some dead bodies. The stench was horrible, smelling of both corpses and fish.

Farah gasped when she realized what she was seeing. This was the Prince's ship, and the bodies were his crew. She froze, unable to comprehend it all.

"No one survived. One man washed up on shore alive, but died a few minutes ago. He said they were attacked by raiders. Dog looking men lead by a female warrior," Sharaman explained. Though the story sounded far fetched, he as well as Farah believed it.

"And Cyrus?" she asked emotionlessly.

"He said he saw Cyrus fighting the woman, but she threw him over board and no one saw him since. So far we haven't found his body. It must have vanished in the water like many of the others."

"No…" she said, "He can't be dead. Not like that."

"I know you two were close, so I thought you had the right to know," the King said.

Suddenly, she couldn't breathe. Her head was swimming and she could no longer stand on her own. Before Sharaman realized what happened, she collapsed. Before blacking out, she could hear him shout, "I need some medical help over here now!"

Present time, aboard the ship

"_You gave her up, let her go. And I have come to reclaim what has always been mine," he sneered._

"_No! I love her. You don't know what you're talking about. I didn't give her up."_

"_You did! And you know it. You gave her up for this little whore. But I know what she's really worth. I'll make her happy. I'll be the man you never could!"_

"_Let her go please!" he begged, "I promised I'd never let any harm come to her…and I've failed. Like so many times before, I've failed her…"_

The rocking of the ship kept Kaileena from sleep. She was not used to it. It also made her a little nauseous. She heard the rustling of sheets, and the sound of soft moaning. Squinting in the darkness of the cabin, she saw that the Prince was tossing and turning in his bed, his lips moving and emanating pained moans. He was having a nightmare.

Kaileena got out of bed and, clutching her makeshift clothes in her hand, ran over to him. She sat on the edge of his bed and leaned over him.

"Wake up, Cyrus, wake up!"

He was crying now, tears streaming down his face, which was a portrait of pain.

"Leave her alone…please don't harm her…please…I promised…" he cried.

Kaileena shook him until he woke up with a jolt.

In the darkness, the Prince thought Kaileena was Farah. "Farah…?"

"No…It's me, Kaileena," she said.

"Kaileena?" he was so glad it was only a dream that he sat up quickly and hugged Kaileena. She was startled at first but returned the hug, feeling his shaking body against hers.

"It was horrible," he was saying, crying into her hair.

"Shh. It's over, it was only a dream," she soothed.

The Prince pulled away from her slightly, wiping away the tears. He looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry if I woke you," he apologized.

"You didn't, I was awake already," she replied. They sat there in silence for a moment when Kaileena began to wonder what it would be like to kiss him. Holding him had felt so right and she wanted more now.

"Are you going to be okay now?" she asked.

The Prince nodded, "Yes. I think so. And thanks."

"For what?"

"For just being here. Having someone to talk to or to see everyday makes everything okay. I really don't know what I'd do without you Kaileena," he said.

"I'm glad," Kaileena said, "I don't know what I'd do without you either." And she decided to go for it. Leaning in she pressed her lips against his.

The act came as a surprise to the Prince. He pulled away from her and said, "I'm sorry Kaileena, but I can't do this."

"Why not?" she asked in a whisper.

"I'm already in love with someone, and I don't have those feelings for you."

"But…what you just said and what you've been saying ever since we left the Island," she said.

"I didn't mean for you to think I was coming onto you. I do love you Kaileena, but as a friend," he said backing away so he made it clear.

"Oh…" she said disappointed, "I'm sorry I did that then."

"You have no reason to be sorry. I shouldn't have said what I did. I guess I didn't realize I was giving the wrong impression," the Prince said.

Kaileena got up and headed back to her bed.

Suddenly, she felt dizzy. She'd had this feeling before: it meant she was having a vision of the future.

She let out a tiny cry and her knees buckled, causing her to fall. The Prince was quick to his feet and caught her. "Kaileena!"

She clutched him as the pain grew. She began to cry out.

"What's happening?" he asked to no one in particular.

Gasping for air, Kaileena said, "I'm…having a vision…of the future."

Now he understood why she was in pain. As a young man, when he was in the Sultan's palace, he'd gotten visions every so often, seeing what dangers lay ahead, waiting for him. They'd been painful and took a lot out of him.

In her mind's eye, Kaileena saw fire, so much fire. A whole city was burning. And she saw death. Soldiers fighting and dying, cries of pain filled the air and she heard the sound of metal banging. She could see a crown tumbling down a flight of stone steps until it came to a halt at someone's foot. A mysterious man picked up the crown and said in a familiar voice, "All that is yours is rightfully mine…and mine…it will be!" He moved aside and Kaileena saw a body hanging from a plank of wood that was being held by two men.

She realized that this vision was not intended for her, but for the Prince.

"What did you see?" he asked her.

Should she tell him? What good would it do other than upsetting him? To have to tell him his home was going to be destroyed, and all the people he cared about were going to die. She couldn't.

"I just saw…us returning to Babylon," she answered. It wasn't _really_ a lie. Surely if this man was speaking to the Prince he had returned home.

The Prince helped Kaileena to her feet and sighed in relief, "I'm glad you're okay."

He made sure she wasn't going to fall again and returned to his bed. "Goodnight Kaileena. I hope you feel better. I know visions have a way of making you feel ill. But don't worry; we'll be reaching port any day now."

"Yeah…goodnight Cyrus," she said.

Kaileena closed her eyes. He sounded so happy to be returning home. _Yeah, you're happy now Cyrus. But soon, I'm afraid, you're world is going to come crashing down, and I fear there is nothing you or I can do to stop it._


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Prince of Persia. They all belong to Ubisoft.

_Italic text is used for thoughts, dreams and flashbacks. Underlined italic text is alter ego thoughts._

Only Time Knows

Chapter Two: Returning Home

The next morning, the Prince woke up long before Kaileena did. When she finally got up, she put on her dress, which was now dry, and went upstairs.

She looked around for the Prince but couldn't find him.

"Cyrus where are you?" she called out.

"Oh! You're awake," he said. Kaileena turned around but did not see him.

"Where are you?" she asked again.

"Up here!" he called.

Kaileena looked up and smiled. He had climbed up near the sails and was pulling on some ropes. "We're getting closer to land, look!" He pointed out and Kaileena followed his gaze. In the distance, appearing slowly over the horizon was land. As they drew nearer, Kaileena could make out tall building and even a palace. That must be Babylon, and the palace must be the Prince's home.

"It's beautiful…" Kaileena said quietly.

She heard the Prince hop down behind her. "I know, isn't it? We should be arriving late tomorrow, at about sunset."

Kaileena suddenly remembered her vision of Babylon on fire. Her heart sunk to think of the monstrous person who'd want such a thing done to such a wonderful place.

Finally on her feet again, Farah sat by the small fountain in the back of the courtyard. She'd been under medical supervision for the passed couple of weeks, after her little incident.

Life had lost its wonder. It seemed so dull now. Farah looked up at the clouds. _How can you be dead when I can still feel you alive in my heart?_ Farah wondered.

She heard the excited chatter of some of the garden staff but ignored it. Nothing they had to say could be of interest to her. She got up and headed inside. She was planning to leave today. There was nothing for her here anymore. Perhaps her father could find another prince for her to marry, most likely her ex fiancé wouldn't take her back, he probably felt greatly offended.

"Princess Farah," King Sharaman said when he spotted her passing by the dining hall door. "Didn't you hear the wonderful news?"

"No," she replied.

"Everyone's been talking about it; a ship is coming to port."

"So," she said, "Why is that exciting?"

"My dear, my son is aboard that ship."

She couldn't hold in the gasp that escaped her. "How do you know?"

"The lookout confirmed it. He spotted a young, dark haired man high in the sails. The ship seems to be made of the same wood used on our ships. He must have used some that washed up on shore."

"I want to believe it's him," Farah said turning away, "But I need to see him with my own eyes before I get my hopes up."

"Then go to the docks, for the ship will be arriving there in moments," Sharaman said.

When the Prince arrived at the docks, there was a crowd of excited people waiting for him. _They must have seen me coming_, he thought.

With their help, he got the ship all tied up. He helped Kaileena off the ship and followed behind. As soon as he set foot on dry land, the crowd swarmed him, asking dozens of questions. Kaileena was pushed aside until she was outside the horde.

"I am quite fatigued after my long journey, so if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go home and rest. There will be plenty of time to answer all the questions at a later time," he announced over the hubbub of the crowd. The Prince found Kaileena again and grabbed her hand so he didn't lose her again.

A few servants from the palace were waiting to take him and his new companion home.

"You go on ahead," he said to Kaileena, "I'll catch up later."

"You're leaving me?" Kaileena asked.

"I've just got some business to take care of. I'll see you again at dinner." He turned to the servants, "See to it that this lady has a one of the guest rooms in the palace. Get her some clothes and tend to all her needs. She is my guest and I expect you to care for her as if it were me. Understood?"

"Yes your Highness," the servants said bowing. They led Kaileena to some horses which were waiting to take her to the palace.

When they were gone, the Prince made his way to a shadowy alley, where he'd seen a hooded figure waiting.

He wrapped his arms around her and picked her up off the ground. "I missed you so much," he said setting her down.

Farah removed her hood and held him tight. She was crying, "They said you were dead. That you were attacked and drowned."

"Shh. I'm alright," he soothed, combing his fingers through her hair.

"What happened to your face!" she asked tracing the large scar that ran down the right side of his face.

"Oh, it's just a cut I got during a fight, it's nothing," he said.

"I'm glad you're home," Farah said. "But who did you bring with you?"

"Oh, that's Kaileena; she's the Empress of Time."

"The Empress? Why have you brought her here? I thought you were going there to stop her," Farah said.

"I was, but I saved her from the Dahaka, it's dead. She was all alone so I offered her to stay and live here," he explained.

"Why?"

"Farah, why not?"

"I don't like her," she said.

"How can you not like her? You don't even know her!"

"I have a bad feeling about her. Call it women's intuition," she replied.

"I don't care what you call it. Farah, I was being kind. Kaileena was all alone on the Island. She had no life there. She tried to kill me yes but-"

"She tried to what!"

"She tried to kill me," he repeated.

"And you still brought her back? Cyrus what on Earth is wrong with you?"

"She only did it because she thought she had no choice. But I killed the Dahaka, so we're all safe now. I only did what I thought was right, what I thought you'd do if you were in my place," the Prince said.

Farah sighed, "I still don't trust her, but if you say she's gone straight, then I believe you."

"Good," he said resting his chin on the top of her head, "Because I know Kaileena's a good person, and I think you and she could become really good friends."

Later that evening, King Sharaman held a grand feast in honour of his son's return. It was held outside, under the sweet, humid, air and sparkling stars.

"Make yourself at home here," the Prince told Kaileena when he noticed how nervous she'd been.

"This is all just so new to me; it's hard to get comfortable. I told you I'd feel out of place," she replied.

"Don't worry, I felt that way at first," Farah said. She was truly trying to be nice to Kaileena. She did seem really nice, and she was pretty, Farah was jealous. Perhaps her first impression had been fueled by jealousy and she was rushing into accusations, yet, she still kept her guard up.

"Really?" Kaileena asked.

Farah nodded. "But once you get used to it, there's almost no formalities. Plus, you know me, and Cyrus, so just stick with us for the first few days."

Suddenly, a man approached them. He was dressed in a soldier's uniform and looked very handsome.

The Prince got up and threw his arms around the man, "Omar! It's great to see you again old friend."

"It's great seeing you too. I thought you were dead," Omar replied.

"I probably would have been if not for a stroke of luck," the Prince replied.

Kaileena glanced at Farah, a confused look on her face, "Who's he?"

"Just a friend," Farah replied, "Cyrus's best friend actually. He'd been out fighting a war in Syria when he left for your Island."

"Oh," Kaileena said. That explained why he was not killed when Shahdee attacked the Prince's ship.

Omar turned to the women. "Farah, long time no see."

She greeted him with a hug as well, "Good to see you."

He looked at Kaileena, "And, who is this lovely young lady?"

She blushed, "My name is Kaileena."

"I met her on the Island of Time," the Prince said. But Omar was hardly listening.

"Kaileena…" he said, "That's a pretty name."

"Thank you," she said. He took her hand and gave it a respectful kiss.

"It's a pleasure meeting you."

Farah shot the Prince a look that said, "I think he likes her."

"Why don't you two dance?" the Prince suggested. Both Omar and Kaileena gave him a surprised look.

"Uh…well…if you want to," Omar said to Kaileena nervously.

"Sure," she replied.

"Great."

Omar led Kaileena over to a spot where they could be as alone as possible and still hear the soft music coming from the band of musicians.

"Do you want to take a walk?" the Prince asked Farah.

"Sure," she said, "But why do you want to leave your own party?"

"Meh, I'm not the kind to sit through a long night of music and dancing for very long."

"I see," Farah said. So hand in hand, they left the courtyard unnoticed and walked out into the forest that lay behind the palace.

Kaileena however, noticed. Her gaze followed them until they vanished in the darkness.

_You're not just going to let them leave like that, are you? _ a wicked voice asked within Kaileena's head.

_Shut up. I don't want to hear from you anymore. I'll do what I want, and if I choose to stay here and leave them to their business, then I will, _she replied mentally.

_Suit yourself; I was only trying to help._ Kaileena rolled her eyes.

She continued to dance with Omar and she found herself enjoying it. Resting her head on his shoulder, she put the Prince and Farah out of her mind for the time being and just enjoyed being the center of someone's world for one night.

The Prince and Farah walked in silence for a while, simply enjoying each other's company.

"The night is beautiful, isn't it?" Farah asked suddenly.

"Yeah…it is…" he replied.

"But?" she asked, sensing he was not finished his train of thought.

"Nothing, I was just thinking that yes, it's beautiful, but I can name something that dwarfs tonight in the way of beauty," the Prince said referring to her.

"I missed that when you were gone."

"What? My compliments?"

"Well…yes, that too. But I missed you and being able to talk to someone the way we talk."

"I missed that too," he agreed. It was quite lonely on the Island, not being able to talk to anyone or have anyone there to help and make witty remarks.

"Y'know, it takes looking death right in the face to truly realize what's most important to you," he said.

"What do you mean?" Farah asked.

"Well, when I started out on this 'quest', I really only wanted to succeed so you wouldn't get hurt. But then, when I was in those sacred caves with the water sword in my hand looking at the Dahaka straight in the face, knowing there was no where to run anymore, I don't know… everything just came into perspective," the Prince explained.

"Such as?"

"Well, being king for instance. I didn't want to at first, now, I do, because I know that is what my father wants, that will make him happy. To see me follow in his footsteps. Before, I was holding a bit of a grudge against him for never being there when I was growing up, but now, in seeing what I knew he probably saw at night, death waiting to take him, I decided that, this is the one gift I could do for him, even if I couldn't save him."

Tears came to Farah's eyes. "I never knew you felt that way."

"I also got to thinking about us," he continued.

"Us? In what way? We're together, isn't that all that matters?" she asked.

"Yes, but it's not enough." She didn't understand. "I got to thinking that I couldn't lose you again. I lost you the one time and I'm not going to stand around and let it happen again."

"So, what do you plan to do?"

"The only thing I can," he said, "I want to fulfill the promise I made you years ago, a promise I doubt you remember."

"In the Sultan's palace?" she asked. He nodded. Then he was right, she wouldn't remember. That was probably what hurt her the most: being unable to remember what happened back then no matter how hard she may try.

"You told me, just before you died, that this promise was the reason you left me, the reason you were deceitful. Because you wanted my promise to be real."

"And what was your promise?" she asked.

"That when everything was over I would make you my queen, and we'd live happily ever after," he said.

Farah couldn't believe it. Quietly, she asked, "And…what does that mean?"

"It means… I'm asking now. Will you marry me?"

Farah found it hard to breathe and there were tears forming in her eyes. But not because she was upset, quite the contrary. "Yes," she said, "I will."

The Prince was both shocked and relieved. He hugged Farah tight and said happily, almost crying himself, "I love you so much, and I promise, from this day forward, nothing will ever tear us apart."

The sun would be rising in a few hours and everyone was all partied out. Kaileena had not seen the Prince or Farah since they left hours ago. She said good night to Omar and went inside. She thought, as she went upstairs to her room that he was a very nice man and she'd really like seeing him again.

Kaileena sat at the vanity that was in the room and brushed her long, black hair slowly.

_Oh my god, don't tell me you like that guy? _the voice asked in disbelief.

"Oh great, _you're_ back."

_I feel so loved,_ the voice said sarcastically.

"Do you mind? I don't wish to speak to you."

_Well suck it up missy 'cause you're stuck with me._

"Wonderful," Kaileena mumbled, "And why do you care if I like Omar or not? I don't, he's nice guy but I don't like him in that way, but that's really not your business."

_Hah! Not my business? I am you, Kaileena; therefore, it is my business._

"Fine, it's your business, then here, the answer is no, I don't like Omar. Happy now?"

_Yes, as a matter of fact I am._

"Good, now you can leave me alone," Kaileena said angrily. She was quite tired of being harassed by the remnants of her old self, the Empress of Time.

_Not so fast sweet-cheeks. I'm not finished. Since we're sure this Omar fellow is out of the picture, it's time to get our true love back._

"If you're referring to Cyrus, you heard him on the ship, there never will be anything between us, he loves Farah," Kaileena said with a pang of jealousy.

_And you're just going to let her have him? He's just confused. He doesn't really know what he wants. He knows he loves you, but he's too noble, he wouldn't just leave her like that for you. So, you have prove to him that you are who he really wants. _

"Well, if you're so smart, what am I supposed to do?"

_Damn, I should have been prepared to hear such a stupid question like that. Do I have to explain everything to you? The only way to get him back is to get rid of the obstacle that is stopping you from being together in the first place. _

"You mean Farah?" she asked.

_Duh! _the Empress said.

"No, I won't do it. I know you: in getting rid of you mean killing her. Well, guess what, I'm not you anymore. I'm not evil. The Prince showed me what it is like to be good. I won't go back to who I used to be," Kaileena said.

_You can't escape your destiny Kaileena. You **are** me! You know this is what you want, to be rid of that slutty little princess and have the Prince to yourself. You want what she has: love. _

"No… I mean yes… I want his love, but I won't harm anyone just to have it."

_That's a lie and you know it. Take what is yours, what you want to be yours. You have the power to do it, just let me help you._

When Kaileena looked at herself in the mirror, she did not see her face; she saw the red eyed masked face of the Empress.

"Noooooo!" she cried. She _would not_ become a monster again. With all of her strength, Kaileena smashed the mirror under her fist. It shattered into a hundred pieces and fell onto the floor. She cried out when one of the shards cut her hand.

Opening her hand, Kaileena saw the wound it created. The thick red blood that seeped out of the deep cut, dripping onto the floor. Biting her lip, she tried not to think of the pain.

_Now, was that really necessary? You know you can't get rid of me. You don't want to admit to yourself that this is who you are and what you want, that's why you broke that silly mirror._

Cradling her hand, Kaileena said through gritted teeth, "I will never give into you. I won't betray Cyrus, and there is nothing you can say to change my mind."

_Of course, I can't say anything to change your mind, but there may be something I can **show **you._


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Prince of Persia. They all belong to Ubisoft.

_Italic text is used for thoughts, dreams and flashbacks. Underlined italic text is alter ego thoughts._

Only Time Knows

Chapter Three: Second Thoughts

When the Prince and Farah returned home to the palace, arms hooked together, they saw that the servants were cleaning up what was left of the party and all the guests were gone.

The palace was almost silent, except for the muffled noise of the palace servants tidying everything up. Heading upstairs, they passed by Kaileena's room.

The Prince stopped when he heard the sound of voices inside.

"What's wrong?" Farah asked.

"It sounds like Kaileena's talking to someone?" Actually, by the tone of her voice, it sounded more like she was arguing with someone.

Farah tried to listen. "I only hear her."

"So do I, but…doesn't that strike you as odd?" he asked.

"Yes, but so what. She's talking to herself, I do that sometimes. That doesn't make me weird does it?"

"No…but I'm sure you don't argue like that to yourself," the Prince pointed out.

"Cyrus, she's fine. We should just leave her be. She's probably just overwhelmed with all the changes she's had to face," she said gently tugging at him to move on.

"You're right. I guess I was just looking too much into it."

When they came to Farah's room, she stopped. "I guess this is where I say good night."

"Wait."

"What?" she asked looking over her shoulder.

"I thought, since we're engaged now, that we were going to spend at least tonight together," he replied.

"I suppose I could," she said grinning mischievously and leaning in to kiss him.

Not breaking contact, the couple made their way to the room. Inside, the room was decorated with candles that, burning softly, gave the room a cozy, magical feel.

Farah gasped when she saw it. It was so beautiful…and, a bit familiar.

"Do you like it?" the Prince asked, "I tried to, guess you can say, 'recreate' the night we spent together in the Sultan's palace."

"Yes…but… there's something missing. A pool, I remember a pool."

"Remember? You remember this?" he asked almost excitedly.

Farah closed her eyes and tried to think, "Yes, sort of. It's coming back to me, but I still can't fully remember. It's like it didn't actually happen to me, but I remember how the room looked and I kind of remember being there…but…oh, I wish I could remember it like you do," she said sadly.

The Prince gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze, "Don't worry, whether or not you ever find a way to remember what happened, it has no effect on now. We're still in love right? And we're going to be married soon," he said.

"I know, but it's still so frustrating, trying to recall something that's just not there."

"I know, just try not to think of it."

"Your right," Farah said, "I should stop upsetting myself over it. All that matters is you and me. I love you, and I plan," she said seductively, "to prove it."

_You can't escape your destiny Kaileena. You **are** me! You know this is what you want, to be rid of that slutty little princess and have the Prince to yourself. You want what she has: love, _the Empress said.

Kaileena bit her lip, confused. "No… I mean yes… I want his love, but I won't harm anyone just to have it."

_That's a lie and you know it. Take what is yours, what you want to be yours. You have the power to do it, just let me help you._

When Kaileena looked at herself in the mirror, she did not see her face; she saw the red eyed masked face of the Empress.

"Noooooo!" she cried. She _would not_ become a monster again. With all of her strength, Kaileena smashed the mirror under her fist. It shattered into a hundred pieces and fell onto the floor. She cried out when one of the shards cut her hand.

Opening her hand, Kaileena saw the wound it created. The thick red blood that seeped out of the deep cut, dripping onto the floor. Biting her lip, she tried not to think of the pain.

_Now, was that really necessary? You know you can't get rid of me. You don't want to admit to yourself that this is who you are and what you want, that's why you broke that silly mirror._

Cradling her hand, Kaileena said through gritted teeth, "I will never give into you. I won't betray Cyrus, and there is nothing you can say to change my mind."

_Of course, I can't say anything to change your mind, but there may be something I can **show **you,_ the Empress said temptingly.

"What are you talking about?"

_Well it seems that trying to talk some sense into you is no use, seeing as you're a stubborn bitch. But, you've pushed me to do something I didn't want to have to resort to._

Kaileena snorted, "Now that is funny. It sounded like you actually had some kind of feelings."

_Shocking isn't it? So, are you going to come willingly? Or must I do something you will not like to see?_

"I don't know, but I do know I'm not going to do the evil things you want me too."

_Fine, then it's your own fault if your heart breaks._

"Nothing you could ever do could hurt me like that," Kaileena said.

The Empress corrected her, _Oh; it's not something **I'm** going to do to you._

What the hell was she talking about? Kaileena didn't trust her, not one bit.

_Cyrus's room is just down the hall. Come on, we're going to have a little chat with him. Maybe he's had a change of heart and now realizes who he really loves._

"It sounds to me like you're the one who wants him to love you, not me."

_How many times do we have to go through this? I **am** you. What we feel is exactly the same: love, hate, happiness, anger. Now get that through your thick head and come on!_

"Fine, if I do, will you get off my back?"

_Perhaps, but I think you'll be coming after me._

"In you're dreams Your Highness," she said rolling her eyes. She got up and left her room, heading down the hall to where the Prince's room lay. There was a bit of light spilling out beneath the door so she knew for sure that he was awake. She just wasn't prepared to find what she did…

At the moment Kaileena smashed her mirror, down the hall, Farah broke away from the Prince's kiss. "What was that!"

"I don't know. But it sounded like it came from down the hall," he replied breathlessly.

"You don't think that was Kaileena? Do you?" she asked.

"No, it was probably one of the servants. That new guy is still getting used to things. A bit of a clumsy fellow."

"You're probably right. Yesterday he almost turned over an entire table," she said with a giggle.

"See? Nothing to worry about. Now, enough him or that accident or anything else," he said kissing her again.

Farah returned the kiss and didn't argue. In this case, she was more than willing to allow him to be right.

Of course, in later time, she may begin to regret that decision.

Quietly, so as not to wake the other guests in the palace, Kaileena crept down the hall towards the Prince's room. She quickly realized the door had been carelessly left ajar. Kaileena was about to knock for permission to enter (she hadn't lived among humans before but instinctively she knew that was what common courtesy), but she paused when she heard sounds from within the room.

She carefully peered in, and a second later regretted it. Her hand flew over her mouth to keep the gasp in that so desperately wanted to escape. At that very moment, she felt her heart shatter into a million pieces just like her mirror had mere moments before.

Inside, she saw the man she'd come to fall in love with making love to another woman. Kaileena found herself unable to breathe. It was like she was sinking below the ocean waves, clawing at the water to reach the surface for air, but an invisible hand was pulling her down deeper and deeper.

Silently, but quickly, she dashed down the hall and down the stairs, taking them two at a time. No one noticed when she ran out the front gate, across the courtyard and through the front gate. Kaileena headed deep into the woods, tripping on stones and fallen twigs, her tears blurring her vision. She didn't know where she was going and didn't really give a damn either. She just wanted to get as far away from the palace as she could.

Finally, when she could go no further, Kaileena stopped and sat down near a lake, and wept quietly.

_You didn't believe me did you? Oh no, don't listen to the Empress of Time, she's senile, she doesn't know what the hell she's talking about. If you had listened to me in the first place, I could have spared you that horrible scene, but nooo; you had to be so damn stubborn. _

"Go away," Kaileena said in a hoarse voice. The last thing she needed was to talk with the Empress.

_I told you he's not just going to leave her for no reason. And when she wanted his love, he gave it to her. If you do what I say you should, that could, as it should, be you in there._

Kaileena closed her eyes, trying to think this all out. But it didn't help. Whenever she closed her eyes, all she could see was the Prince with Farah, and her heart broke all over again, causing more tears to flow down her face.

_Oh, don't be a baby, _the Empress said, _This is just a lesson to be learned. You know what will happen if you don't do something about Farah. _

Kaileena wiped away her tears. "If I kill Farah, Cyrus will know I did it, then he'll hate me forever. I can't do it."

_But if he doesn't **know** it was you, he can't hate you, now can he?_

"And how am I supposed to get away with it?" she asked.

_You won't have to worry about that. Let me out, and I'll handle it all, _she replied slyly.

Kaileena bit her lip. She'd come all this way, left her past behind her and started fresh. She was here, in Babylon, a beautiful, kind city. And she, for the first time, cared about someone other than herself. Could she really through all that away?

In her mind's eye, she was back in the hall, peering into the Prince's bedroom, and her mind was already made up.

"I'll do it."

Kaileena looked at herself in the lake water and she was no longer Kaileena. Her eyes were no longer bright, joyful and green. They were now evil, angry and burning red. Her face was covered by a dark, black mask that was the Empress's true face, and her garments were midnight black, hiding little skin.

She grinned to herself. Now she was in her element. Being Kaileena, the sweet innocent girl was nice, but being the Empress came so naturally. The Empress was more in charge than Kaileena; she was kind of just along for the ride.

"Now, finally, with me in charge, we will get back what has always belonged to us," she said walking off to find a suitable place to rest.

_He was walking down a hallway. It looked like a prison. But what prisoners could be held here? It was almost completely silent. There was the sound of dripping water, but that was only rain from a few nights before falling through a leak in the roof. _

_Far off was the sound of screaming, someone was most likely being tortured. And somewhere nearby was the soft sound of weeping. _

_With his heart picking up speed, he walked faster down the hall towards the door at the end, until he was running. Surprisingly the door was unlocked, so he went in. Inside was something so horrible he thought he was going to die._

_Lying on a wooden table, she looked broken. Her head rested to the side, staring blankly at the wall. Her face, which had once been so beautiful and full of light, was wet, stained with tears and blood. _

_He raced to her side and tried to talk to her. "I'm here now; everything is going to be okay."_

_But she didn't seem to hear him. At least, not at first. _

_"I'm sorry," he continued, "This is all my fault."_

_"No…"she said, still not looking at him, "It's my own fault, for being so stubborn."_

_"But none of that matters now. We're together, and I'm going to get you out of here."_

_She began to cry new tears, "I knew you'd come for me. But I'm afraid that's not going to be the case. He won't allow it."_

_"Who won't?" he asked. He was answered by a sneering, evil voice behind him, followed by the sound of archers readying their bows._

_"You will not take her from me again!"_

While Kaileena had been gone for a few hours, everyone in the palace, even the servants at this time, were fast asleep. Well, almost everyone.

Farah turned over in her sleep and realized something was wrong. She sat up sleepily, and looked down beside her. The bed was empty. She looked out and sure enough, the Prince was standing alone on the balcony outside.

Wrapping a robe around her naked body, she joined him outside. The cold nipped at her, but she just hugged herself tighter. It didn't seem to bother him though.

He heard her coming and half turned around. He wanted to acknowledge that he knew she was there, but not look at her directly. He couldn't bring himself to.

"Cyrus, what's wrong?" she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I had another nightmare. I've been having them almost every night since I left the Island of Time," he replied.

"What are they about?"

"Pain and suffering," he said quietly. "I'm worried about Kaileena. She was in my earlier dreams. One of the people who were suffering." He didn't add the greater fear he felt.

"Why are you worried? It was only a dream."

"I don't want to take a chance that it's real," the Prince said. "I used to dream about the Dahaka, remember? And he was real. I don't want to lose Kaileena."

Farah felt her blood boil. Her hands turned to fists and she could feel her nails cutting the palms of her hand.

"I don't want to hear about her anymore!" she said angrily. "Ever since you got home it's been Kaileena this Kaileena that and I'm tired of it!"

"Why? Because now for once you have to share the spotlight with someone else?" he asked.

'You know, it seems like you care a lot for her, don't you?"

"If you're trying to say that you think I'm in love with her than you're wrong. I love you," he said.

"Well you seem to be awfully concerned about her," Farah argued.

"I am! Because she's all alone here, and I have to protect her!" he said.

'Why Cyrus? Huh? She's a big girl. She lived on an Island her whole life; I think she can care for herself."

"That's why you didn't like her at first isn't it? Because you're afraid. Afraid that I'll leave you for her."

"That's not why!" Farah yelled. But then it registered what he said, and she said quietly, "But you said it, I didn't."

"I didn't mean it like that," he said, "I love _you._" The Prince tried to hug her but she pushed him away.

"No," she said. "I understand it all now."

"What?" he asked, "I've already told you the truth, but you don't seem to want to believe it. What do you want me to say? That I love her? Okay, I do. I love Kaileena! Happy now? I've said it."

Farah crossed her arms and didn't say anything.

"I love her but not like I love you," he continued.

Farah smiled, but it was not a happy smile, "You must think I'm a fool. It's clear to see how you feel about her. And you've just admitted it. You love Kaileena, so I guess you made a mistake tonight."

"What do you mean?"

Farah looked at him, straight in the eyes. His were full of confusion. Hers, were full of anger, and sadness. Her hand moved to her left finger and she slowly, almost hesitantly, removed the ring that he'd given her after he proposed.

She handed it to him and said, "You may want this back. I think you may have given it to the wrong woman." And she headed inside, collected her clothes and left. But she paused at the door, waiting. Waiting for him to stop her. To tell her he was sorry and prove that is was her he wanted. But nothing came. Allowing one tear to fall down her face, she left, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

Out on the balcony, the Prince stared at the ring in his hand. It took a moment to register. Finally, it sunk it. He knew that she was standing by the door, waiting for him. And he was about to do it to. But something held him back.

_What if Farah and I weren't meant to be after all? She's a reflection of who I used to be. Not who I am now. We're so different, I'm more like Kaileena now. Maybe…maybe she's right and I'm meant to be with Kaileena. Maybe…_

So he just stood there, hearing the door click, signaling the departure of the woman he'd loved for so long, perhaps, out of his life forever…


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Prince of Persia. They all belong to Ubisoft.

_Italic text is used for thoughts, dreams and flashbacks._

Only Time Knows

Chapter Four: Dark Alliance

The Empress walked around in the dark forest for a while. She didn't quite know what it was she was looking for, but she had a feeling that something useful was here. The Timeline had told her that long ago, but she didn't want to share it with Kaileena.

Soon, the short temper she already possessed got shorter and her frustration grew. Sitting down on a rock, she cursed under her breath. Why couldn't the Timeline just be clear, like it used to be? Everything in the world was changing and she didn't like it.

Suddenly, she could hear rustling in the bushes behind her. Someone was coming. She got up and prepared for a fight. Out here, everything was a potential enemy.

"Who's out there? Show yourself!" But they never revealed themselves. "I am the Empress of Time and I order you to show yourself."

"I take orders from no one," a deep voice said. The owner wasn't afraid of her, and was never hiding to begin with. He'd just been too far away to hear her the first time. He walked out of the foliage and the Empress gasped.

"Prince Cyrus…?" she breathed.

"You're half right," he said grinning. Indeed, he looked exactly like the Prince. His features were identical, or what he used to look like, three years ago. There was only one difference. This man was as tall as the Prince, and as built. But the clothes he wore were of dark colours: blacks, grays and dark blues. His eyes were yellow, his hair was white like ash and his skin was gray and almost rotting, like that of a sand creature. "I am part of the Prince. The part of him that has slowly been dying for the past three years. They call me Dark Prince Cyrus, because of how I look. But I am not the dark one. The one that walks in my place is."

"What do you want with me?" she asked. For why else would he be here if he did not want something from her?

The Dark Prince smiled. "Nothing too much, except…your life."

"What!"

He glared at her. "You ruined my life! You and Cyrus both. He forgot about me. He was so worried about dying at the Dahaka's hands that he pushed me into the cold, until one day I finally freed myself of him. I'm not dying the way I used to me because I'm free. But because I am still him my death will come. And I was so close to becoming whole again. So close to having everything right again. But then you came along. The victim in all this. The one who the Dahaka was after now. And he saved you, brought you home, and you took him away from the one thing that could have brought me home again. The one thing that he had not yet let go of. But now…I can feel it. He's let her go too. All that he had once been, all that _I_ had been, is gone."

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"He let her go you bitch!" he snarled. "He let Farah go."

"Did he now?" the Empress asked smiling.

But the Dark Prince wasn't amused. "Now, it's up to me. I have put everything right. I'll have everything that is supposed to be mine, everything he gave up. I will be whole with or without him."

And he took his sword out of his sheath. Charging at her, he held his sword high, ready for the kill. But she teleported out of the way just in time.

"Wait!" she said.

"Don't even try begging for mercy. I'm not merciful, not anymore."

"I want to make you a deal," she said.

"What deal?" he asked.

"You want what is yours right? A kingdom, the one you love, a life. I can give you all that."

"How?"

"Provide me an army, and together, we can attack the Prince. Take what we want, and force the citizens to band against him in exchange for their immunity from our power. We'll kill all who apposes us."

"No, I won't risk the lives of innocent people," he said.

"Sometimes it's necessary," the Empress said. "You want your kingdom, don't you? You want Farah back right?"

He thought about it. He did want those things, especially Farah. "Alright. But we will avoid as much unnecessary deaths as possible."

"You're the boss," she said.

_What are you doing! _Kaileena asked.

_Don't worry; I've got it all under control. He's going to put his faith in me. So, he'll trust me. If he does what I say, the Prince will be all alone. He'll have no choice but to seek us out. We'll be there to help him along the way and he'll finally come to our side and we'll be together, just as we want._

"Alright," the Dark Prince said, "I'll provide you the army you need. Do what must be done. I'll take over afterwards."

"I was thinking, that I could pretend to befriend the Prince. He'll trust me and I can inform you of when he's most vulnerable and we can strike. I don't need the army, just for you to give them one command. Destroy whatever they can, and show no mercy to anyone."

The next day, Kaileena returned home early in the morning so no one would know she was out the night before. She simply went into her room so that when the servant came in to wake her, she was already there.

She was perfectly calm when she went downstairs for breakfast.

"Good morning," she said sweetly to everyone, but more to the Prince than to Farah who were both sitting silently at the dining table.

"Good morning," the Prince said. Farah stayed quiet. Kaileena noticed that they were sitting near each other like they had at the party the night before. They weren't even looking at each other.

She sat down beside the Prince and saw Farah shoot a jealous glance when she did so.

"What's going on between you two?" she whispered to the Prince.

"Oh, nothing," he replied. "We just disagreed on something."

"Oh," she said mischievously, "A little lovers quarrel?"

That put a smile on the Prince's face, "I guess you can call it that."

Suddenly, King Sharaman stood up, with a bit of difficulty, and all chatter stopped. "I apologize for disturbing you all from your meal," he said talking to the Prince, Kaileena, Farah, the Prince's sisters, their husbands and a number of other guests who lived in the palace, "But yesterday, my son came to me and told me he had an announcement he wanted to share with everyone as soon as possible. Well my son now is that time. Stand up and tell us."

The Prince hadn't been expecting this. _Couldn't he have said this yesterday? When I actually **did** have some good news._

He shot a look at Farah, who turned away coldly. It was as if she were saying, "Tell them you slime ball. Tell them that you were going to marry me but are now in love with someone else so we called it off. Then you'll be the laughing stock of the kingdom."

The Prince stood up and said, "Actually Father, I've been thinking about it and it's not very important." And sat down again. The King was shocked, but said, "Alright then, everyone, back to your meals."

Afterwards, before he left the dinning hall, Sharaman caught up with his son and stopped him. "What was that stunt you pulled in there? Now I feel stupid," he said.

"I'm sorry Father," the Prince replied, "But there has been a change in the plans and I didn't want to say that in front of everyone."

"A change in what plan?" Sharaman asked.

"Look, I was going to…commit to something, but there were some arguments and now that's not going to happen. Let's just leave it at that." He had no intention of speaking with his father about almost getting married. For one thing, he hadn't even told him he was in a relationship with Farah and secondly, he knew his father would push him into trying to get her back, which he wasn't prepared to do yet.

His father didn't say anything; he just watched as his son walked off in the other direction, towards the training rooms.

Farah went up to her room and found the rucksack she'd hidden under her bed. She laid it open on her bed and packed away all her clothes. She'd be going home soon. She'd see her father again. How could she break the news to him? That she'd come all this way, been gone so long, only to return with nothing but a broken heart? It would destroy him. But, the Prince had made up his mind, she had no other choice.

There was a knock at the door and she quickly wiped away the tears that had formed with the back of her hand, "Come in," she said.

She looked up, expecting it to be the Prince. She was disappointed to see that it was only Kaileena. She wasn't really in the mood to speak with her, seeing as she was the reason she was packing right now.

Then again, she couldn't really blame Kaileena. It was the Prince who no longer loved her. The Prince who allowed her to walk out the door, and the Prince who made no effort to stop her from returning home now.

"You seemed off today at breakfast. I sense something's wrong. Do you need to talk?" Kaileena asked.

"No, I'm okay," she lied.

"Why are you packing? Are you going somewhere?" she asked.

"Yes," Farah replied, "I'm going home."

"Why?" Kaileena asked surprised. "I thought you were going to stay here, with Cyrus. Yesterday you seemed so much in love."

"Yeah, well things change. That's something you'll learn eventually," she said, continuing to pack.

"Some things change, but some things don't," Kaileena said.

"Well, he sure changed."

"What happened?"

"We had a fight. And I told him we couldn't be together anymore. I guess a part of me just wanted to see what he'd do. I was moving on, and I wanted to know if he was going to let me go, or if he was going to come with me. Turns out he was going to let me go."

Kaileena sighed sadly, "Oh Farah. I'm so sorry."

"So am I," she said, looking like she was on the verge of tears.

She turned to leave, when Kaileena grabbed her hand. "Don't go."

Farah looked at Kaileena. "I've never had friends before. I know we haven't known each other very long, but I think you and I could be good friends. And Cyrus really loves you, I know he does."

_What are you doing! You'll ruin everything!_ But Kaileena wasn't listening.

Farah gently took her hand away from Kaileena without a word. She walked away, but not before pausing in the doorway saying, "I'm sorry, but this is something that I have to do. Like I said, thing's change, and we don't always like the changes…"

Outside the city, the Dark Prince waited with his army. The Empress told him now was the time. Any moment now, he'd have everything that he so rightfully deserved.

He gave his army of sand creatures the order and watched with a satisfying grin as the war began.

Farah walked away from the palace, not looking back. She'd sold her horse a little while after she'd arrived in Babylon a year ago, so now, she had to make do on foot. She didn't really care anyway. The later she got home, the later she had to tell her father she'd gone all this way for nothing. She was only prolonging the inevitable.

How things had changed from wonderful to horrible in so short of a time amazed her. One moment, she felt like the luckiest woman on the face of the earth. She felt beautiful and happy because she was loved. Now, she felt ugly and depressed and so very alone.

Farah couldn't help the thought that soon, if they hadn't already, the Prince had made his move on Kaileena, and they were together, sharing all that Farah and the Prince had shared. Picturing it in her mind brought fresh tears. She realized she was crying a lot lately.

Sitting down, she picked absently at the leaves on the trees, getting lost in her own memories of the past. It satisfied her, for the time being, to simply remember the good times she had with the Prince. Then, for brief moments, nothing had changed between them.

She was so lost within herself that she didn't hear him approach her.

"Now, what is someone as lovely as you doing out here all alone, crying?"

Farah's heart leapt and she turned around quickly. But her smile faded when she saw that is was not the Prince behind her as she had thought.

The stranger struck her and she fell into unconsciousness, hearing "I'm sorry…" just before her world went black.

He couldn't believe it. When the servant told him Farah was gone he just couldn't believe it. She'd really left. He hated himself. He'd just let the best thing in his life walk out of it.

Angry with himself, he almost broke his sword on the metal rack it usually sat on. He wasn't actually supposed to hit it, but he was just so angry, he wasn't thinking clearly. He even, for one brief moment, considered driving his sword into his own body, but thought otherwise.

He threw his sword aside and leaned against the wall, breathlessly, sliding to the floor. He buried his face in his arms and wished with all of his heart that he could reverse time and stop Farah from leaving. But the Sands of Time were no more, and he no longer had the power to control time. He was as mortal as anyone else now, doomed to live with the choices he made.

Suddenly, a page rushed over to him from the stables. "Prince Cyrus! We're under attack!"

The Prince got to his feet quickly, ordered the page to give him his armor and picked up his sword, heading out the palace gates to where all hell broke loose.

Babylon was on fire, just as Kaileena had seen in her vision days before. She ran across the courtyard, heedless to the cries from soldiers to get back. She ran to the Prince's side at the head of the Persian army.

"Kaileena! Get out of here!" he said, "This is a dangerous place."

"Gee, if I recall, I told you the same thing a couple times on the Island."

"This isn't the place, or the time, to bring that up Kaileena," he said. "We are on the brink of war here."

"I'm not leaving you," she said and grabbed his forearm firmly to show she wasn't kidding.

He turned to a soldier, "Get her a sword, now!"

The soldier obeyed and handed Kaileena a heavy sword. The army that stood before them, burning the city to the ground, was a lot fiercer than she had expected. They were covered in dark armor and they were huge, much taller than the men in their army."

"Soldiers!" the Prince said above the noise of the chaos, "No matter what, stand your ground. We are not about to give Babylon up without a fight. Kill them all if need be. Until they surrender, do _not_ pull your punches, even if it results in your own death!"

The army cheered and the Prince, getting onto a horse, led them into battle.

And what a brutal battle it was. Kaileena did not join in, but she simply crept away into the shadows and over looked the fight. No reason to get her hands dirty with blood.

Persians were no match for the sand creature army. They managed to kill a few of their men, but the Persians were slaughtered by the sand creatures. Most of the offense killing was done by the Prince, who was probably the most skilled of them all.

From her hiding place, Kaileena could see Omar among those who had fallen. But she was glad to see he was not dead. He was badly wounded, but still alive. His arm had been cut off just above the elbow and he was losing a lot of blood. Those in the enemy army who were not killing were carrying away the wounded soldiers as prisoners.

Soon, only the Prince was left standing. He'd taken a beating and could barely hold himself up. One of the creatures he was fighting delivered a powerful blow to his jaw, sending the Prince flying a couple feet.

The Prince let out a groan of pain and could taste blood in his mouth. With much effort, he got to his knees. The creature slowly trudged towards him and held its sword high. It was going to end it.

"No!" barked a commanding voice, "I want him kept alive." The Prince looked up at the one who'd spared his life. And what he saw shocked him. It was as if he were looking into a mirror, for the one who'd started this war looked exactly like himself.

The Dark Prince was holding the crown that was a symbol of a king. The crown that was supposed to one day be placed upon his own head, proclaiming him the ruler of Persia.

He took a couple steps closer to the Prince and said, "I don't know why I've spared you, you aren't a man of mercy, why should I then? Oh wait, I know why."

"Who…are…you?" the Prince asked in a weak voice.

"Me? Oh, my prince. I can't believe you've forgotten me. I am you. The part of you you've so long since forgotten. The part of you who was cast aside while you became a heartless man, who never welcomed the company of others."

"What?" he asked. How could that be possible? How could that person be him?

"But I won't suffer because of you anymore. How does it feel? To be at the mercy of yourself? To know there's not a damn thing you can do to help yourself? Huh? Tell me how it feels," he demanded, weak himself, but he seemed to be ignoring it.

The Prince didn't reply. Truth be told it felt horrible. How could someone who claimed to be him (and so many odd things had happened over the past few years that he actually didn't doubt him) do such a horrible thing like wage war on his home?

The Dark Prince looked at the crown in his hand thoughtfully. "I'm going to enjoy this," he said. "Now, all that is yours, it rightfully mine and I'm going to make sure, that you can't stop me. Because mine it will be! I swear it.

"Oh! And I've got someone here you might want to say good bye to, because you're never going to see her again." And the Dark Prince stepped aside, revealing his prisoner.

The Prince couldn't believe who it was.

"Farah…"

No, it couldn't be. She was safe. She went home, she wasn't supposed to be here. He tried to get to his feet but they were too weak. His knees buckled and he feel once more amongst the destruction the battle had brought.

"No…" he said, on the verge of tears, "Farah. Please don't hurt her."

"I won't!" the Dark Prince said, "Not like you did. Take her away," he ordered his men. They obeyed and carried the unconscious Farah between them.

Suddenly, all the Prince's sadness turned to pure, burning rage. "You give her back!"

"No can do. She's mine now, just as she always should have been." And the Dark Prince walked off, leaving the Prince all alone.

But the Prince wasn't finished with him, not yet. He attempted to stand once more and he finally did. Fueled by the fire burning in his soul he ran after the Dark Prince and tackled him to the ground. The Dark Prince wasn't worried in the slightest, even when the Prince's hands found their way to his throat and slowly began to strangle him.

"You won't hurt me," he said calmly.

"Wanna bet?"

"You can't. It's for the same reason I did not allow my soldiers to end your miserable life. You and I are one. So, if one of us dies physically, the other one goes down as well."

The Prince instantly released his grip on the Dark Prince. His own throat felt a bit raw as well. He was right. Any pain, joy, or sadness that one felt, the other did as well. They were connected. This was one enemy he couldn't defeat with simple force.

He noticed, at this moment, that sand creatures and humans alike, began to surround him.

"You might want to run," the Dark Prince suggested, "They don't look too happy to see you now do they?"

The Prince didn't hesitate, and began to run in the other direction, away from the angry villagers who seemed to believe that it was his doing which destroyed their lives. He ran through the flaming streets of Babylon, the ones he had run while being hunted by the Dahaka. By this time, he knew them so well; he could run them with his eyes closed. And with all the dust and smoke that was coming from the fires that may not be so farfetched a thought.

"Over here!"

The Prince turned and saw Kaileena beckoning from an alley not too far away. He dove in after her and waited in the dark shadows as all those who were after him ran passed.

"That…was _too_ close," he said catching his breath.

"C'mon," Kaileena said, "We can't stay here; they'll be back soon enough."


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Prince of Persia. They all belong to Ubisoft.

I've decided to change the rating to M due to intense violence in later chapters and a part of this chapter. You have been warned.

_Italic text is used for thoughts, dreams and flashbacks._

Only Time Knows

Chapter Five: Into the Palace

Finally, after it seemed like they'd been running forever, the Prince and Kaileena stopped to rest deep within the forest that surrounded the outskirts of the city. No one would find them out here unless they searched thoroughly. They'd be safe for a day or two.

They settled near a spring, where they both replenished on water. The Prince hadn't realized how thirsty he was. He sat back against a rock and stared blankly at the lake.

"I should've been there. I should've saved her," he said. He looked at the amulet she'd given him. It seemed like so long ago now.

"_This amulet will serve as protection against anything you may encounter there. It has special powers you can use if you need. And also…it's a reminder of me." _

"And this thing, it was supposed to help me protect her. I always promised her I'd keep her safe and I failed to do even that!" Angrily, he threw the amulet as hard as he could. It struck a stone and shattered.

"There was nothing you could do," Kaileena said, "You didn't even know where she was when she was captured."

"That's just the thing. I should've known. She shouldn't have been out there to begin with. If I had been…It's all my fault. I should've apologized, begged her to stay, then she'd be safe right now." He turned to Kaileena. "I've got to go after her. I've got to save her."

Kaileena nodded, "Yes, of course you must. But it'll be dangerous, I should come with you."

"No!" he said a bit too sharply. "I'm sorry Kaileena, as I would love to have you by my side, you're a great warrior, I can't. I will not lose you too."

"You're not all powerful Cyrus; even you can't stand up to a whole army all by yourself."

"I don't care. I will her back, and I won't put you in danger to do it. If I have to die to save, then so be it," he said. "I want you to stay here, where it's safe. When I've found Farah, I promise I'll return. Can do that for me?"

Kaileena nodded.

"Good. It settled then. But for now, we both should get some sleep. It's been a long day."

And with that, the Prince lay down on the cold, dirty ground and tried to get a decent night's sleep. He was asleep in moments and Kaileena stole the chance. She glanced at him once more and vanished into the foliage.

Farah woke up some time later with a pounding headache. How long she'd been out, she didn't know. She tried to sit up, but realized that she was strapped to a gurney, with metal clasps around her chest and waist and could hardly move at all. Her hands were free, but the controls were far out of reach, so even if she wanted to escape, there was no way she could. Not that she really thought about it now, for she was much too weak.

She laid a hand on her sore head and looked at her surroundings. It appeared to be some kind of cell. In the palace dungeons perhaps? She didn't like the look of the tools and machines that lined the walls. It finally dawned on her as to where she was. A torture chamber!

The Empress sat back in her chair comfortable. Everything had worked out perfectly.

One of her minions, a sand creature, like that which had inhabited the Island of Time, approached her. It took only a little while to create a sand creature, and in the few hours since she'd met the Dark Prince, to the time of the attack on the palace, the Empress had created a small number of them for her own personal needs. They were unlike the army the Dark Prince commanded, which was full of humans who'd been subject to the Sands of Time and had transformed into sand creatures. Her army had sand running through their veins, through their souls. They had no humanly emotions or attachments. They lived to serve the Empress herself, and took orders from no one else.

This one in particular, a small raider, bowed before her and waited for permission to stand once more.

"Raise," she said and he obeyed.

In a rough voice that emanated from all her creatures, the raider said, "Your Highness, all the prisoners have been put in their cells. We await further commands as to how to deal with them."

"They will be left alone for the time being. Feed them regularly, but other than that, leave them be," she replied professionally.

"And what of the girl?" he asked.

"She is the only one you need concern yourself with. She is to have absolutely no contact with anyone, is that understood?"

"Yes, Mistress," he replied, "Is that all?"

"No. Make sure she tells you where to find the Prince of Persia. Torture her if she does not give up his whereabouts. Do whatever else you wish to get her to talk. Beat her, rape her, kill her if you have to!"

"Yes Your Highness," he said. Bowing again the little raider left with the command.

The Empress grinned. She'd make Farah's life a living hell. She only used the excuse of wanting to find out where the Prince was to make it logical that torture would be used. She didn't want the Dark Prince to think she was just in it for the pure joy of it, which she was, of course.

A human servant brought her a drink without a word, and she sipped it slowly. Soon, she'd have everything she wanted: the Prince, a kingdom and perhaps, if they were lucky, the whole world. And she would not have to get her hands dirty in the process, not if her tricks on the Dark Prince continued to work.

"Help…" Farah had been trying to call out for hours. But no one seemed to hear her and eventually, all she could produce were weak whispers. She couldn't sleep, though she'd tried to. The sound of screeching metal and dripping water kept her alert, and almost drove her mad. The torches that were set along the stone walls had burned quite low and were near their end. The chamber was dark and the slight shadows cast by the faint light danced around the room, causing goose bumps to constantly run down her spine.

Finally, she heard the sound of the chamber door opening. But it was too dark for her to see who it was who had entered. The intruder's breathing did not sound human. It was ragged and harsh, sounding as if it came from behind a mask. In the darkness, she could just make out its form. It was relatively small, and muscular. It walked over to the control panel and hit some switches, releasing her from the gurney. She was thrilled. He'd come to save her. But she was too weak to move, or even offer a thank you. She just stayed there and waited. The creature came towards her and she could see his silhouette taking something from the belt around its waist. A glint from the torchlight revealed it to be a dagger.

Farah grew worried and tried to get away, but she was much too weak that though she willed her body to move, it stayed still as if it were a thousand pounds.

In a rough voice, the creature said, "Tell me where to find Prince Cyrus of Persia."

Truthfully, she said, "I don't know where he is."

"Liar!" the creature said and without hesitation it drove the dagger into her arm.

Farah cried out in pain and begged him to stop. "Please, I'm telling the truth, I don't know where to find him."

"Well, perhaps this will remind you," the creature replied. He grabbed her wrist and threw her to the floor. Coming closer the raider kicked her a couple times and then ordered for reinforcements to hold her still as she tried to struggle. They were rough with her, yanking at her hair and scratching at her skin until it bled. They beat her ruthlessly and she could soon taste the bitter taste of blood in her mouth.

All Farah could do was try her hardest to escape and beg for mercy. Among her attackers, one really strong creature came forward. From what she could see, his face was covered in a cloth and his body was stained with blood.

_An executioner,_ she thought in horror as he walked towards her slowly. Setting the axed he held aside, the executioner knelt beside her. Struggling against the powerful grip of the raiders, she turned her face away when his came close.

"Don't look so sad Princess," he said in a deep, fierce voice, which he made sound almost kind. "You'll ruin that pretty little face of yours."

He grabbed her face in his rough hand and forced her to look at him.

"Now, how about you tell us what we want to know?"

"I told you I don't know!" she replied, "And even if I did know, I'd never tell you."

Much to Farah's disgust, he replied by planting a harsh kiss on her lips, right through the cloth mask. She let out a terrified, muffled cry and tried pulling away. She knew what would come next.

"Let her go!"

The rage in the mysterious voice caused Farah's heart to stop for a brief moment. Her attackers instantly let go and allowed her head to fall to the floor painfully. They cowered away from the shadow that now stood in the doorway. She squinted in the darkness to see who it was, but failed.

"What is going on in here?" he demanded.

"We had strict orders from the Empress," a little raider offered.

"What orders?" he asked, the rage never leaving his voice.

"To extract information from her about the whereabouts of the enemy by any means necessary."

He ignored him as soon as his eyes fell upon the beaten princess. He rushed to her side and held her protectively in his arms.

"I don't care what orders you've received from the Empress, you hear me and obey. If I _ever_ catch you harming her in any way, I assure you that you will find a fate worse than death at my hands."

And with that, the sand creatures darted out the door without a second look back.

Holding her close, he apologized, "I'm sorry they hurt you."

Farah didn't reply. She just sat there and held onto his cloak with a weak hand.

After some time sitting in silence, she finally spoke up. "Who are you?"

"Someone who loves you. Someone who knew a long time ago. Someone you thought was gone."

She pulled away from him slightly and looked at his face. She let out a small gasp when she saw who it was. It was the man who'd attacked her in the forest. But more importantly than that, it was the Prince. Well, he at least looked like him, sort of.

"Prince Cyrus..?" she asked hesitantly.

He nodded, "In a way."

Gently, she stroked his cheek. It was grey and looked to be rotting in places, and yet, she wasn't afraid at all. He closed his eyes, drowning in her touch.

She knew what he'd been talking about without even having to have it explained. She knew, without a doubt in her mind, that this was the part of the Prince his other self had told her a year ago was dead, or at least dying. And yet, here he was. It seemed that he was able to leave the Prince, having his own body and mind.

"What happened to you?" she asked in a whisper.

"I've fallen. Just like so many others. I've fallen into the grip of the Sands of Time. They've made me powerful, but at a great price. They've made me evil, and they've destroyed my body and my face. I'm hideous."

She shook her head. "No. In fact, I don't think you've ever looked more handsome."

The Dark Prince leaned his forehead against hers. "I've missed you."

"And I've missed you," she said. And she realized that for the passed three years, she'd never really known just_ how_ much she'd missed him.

"I promise you that I won't ever leave you again. I'll be here, and I'll protect you. And soon, I'll be free of my other self. I'll be a separate person completely. All in a matter of time."

"But how?" she asked.

"Once the Empress dies, the Sands of Time will be created. I can use them to give me immortality. Then even if Cyrus dies, I will not go with him, the Sands will protect me.

"Don't talk like that," Farah said, "You are not a monster. I love you, and if you will be like this forever, then I love you like this. Because no matter how you look on the outside, you're still the same man I've fallen in love with on the inside."

He tucked away a strand of her hair and smiled, "No wonder I love you so much. You're always so kind to people, always looking for the good in them."

But she shook her head, "Not always. When I first met Kaileena, I wasn't very open to having her around. I was getting too jealous. I guess nobody's perfect huh?"

"No," he said, "But you're the closest thing to. And you were right about her after all. She took his love away from you. And he took you away from me. But we're together now, and that's all that matters."

Farah sat up straighter, wincing at the pain in her sore, bruised body. The Dark Prince gave her a look of concern, "How are you doing?"

"As good as I can be I suppose," she replied with a weak smile.

"I'm so sorry. I don't know why they attacked you like that, but I assure you I won't let them again."

Farah rested her head on his shoulder, "What's happening?" she asked, "Why is the world falling apart?"

"I'm afraid it's partially my fault. I wanted all the things that were taken away from me, including you. I just…didn't want it this way."

She looked up and him and kissed him quickly.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Oh, no reason, I just wanted to kiss you. Is there a problem with that?"

"Not at all," he replied.

"No more of this upsetting talk. We're together again, I don't want to spoil it do you."

He shook his head. "Then…what do you want to do? I'm afraid I can't let you leave. It's chaos out there and I don't want to risk losing you."

"I understand. Besides, right now, I have no intention of leaving. I think I can think of something we can do."

"We're sorry your Highness, but he came too soon," the raider apologized for the thousandth time after he reported that Farah was still alive and they had extracted no information from her.

The Empress was pacing in front of her throne, growling silently. In anger, she kicked the throne, leaving a dent in its side. Her fists were clenched so tight she could feel her nails puncturing the flesh of her palms.

"We're sorry Empress," he squeaked, "He told us if we hurt her again he'd make our lives hell."

She glared at him, her red eyes burning, "Sorry? You're sorry? Well sorry isn't good enough! You want to see hell? I'll show you hell." And in a flash of light, she shot out a blast of energy which struck the raider and he exploded in a burst of sand, his hit pitched squeal echoing off the hall's large walls.

She turned to the others asked, "Is there anyone else who does not wish to continue their jobs?"

Nervously, the other raiders, keepers, blade dancers, executioners, and assassins shook their heads.

"Now go. She'd better be dead or it'll be your lives, do you hear me?"

Simultaneously, they all said, "Yes Mistress," and walked off.

When they were gone the Empress tried to calm down. Breathing deeply, she relaxed and looked at her hands. On each palm there were four half moon shapes oozing with red blood.

Casually, she tidied her hair and left the palace. She had a feeling that if the Dark Prince was with Farah and his stories about having a connection with the real Prince were true, then someone would be waking up some time soon, and she needed to be there…

The Dark Prince locked the cell door from the inside, so no more of those sand creatures could bother them. He picked Farah up and carried her over to the corner of the room, where it was a bit darker. He was still ashamed of how he looked and decided that the less she saw of him, the less chance there was that she'd change her mind and not want anything to do with him.

Setting her down carefully, he stepped back.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing. Just…are you sure you're up to this. You seem quite weak and after what those goons did to you…I just don't want to hurt you even more."

"Quit worrying about me," she said, "I've told you before that there's nothing you could do to me that would hurt me," _Except leave me for someone else, like Cyrus did with Kaileena,_ she thought to herself.

"Only if you're sure," he said kneeling beside her.

Smiling, she replied, "Read my lips," and proceeded to kiss him passionately, leaning backwards slowly.

As quietly as she could, Kaileena crept through the bushes back to where the Prince had gone to sleep. She didn't want him waking up and asking a lot of questions that at the current moment, she was not willing to answer.

As she came upon his sleeping form, she realized he wasn't having a peaceful sleep.

The Prince was having odd, disturbing dreams. He dreamt that the Dark Prince was with Farah, and all he could do was watch as his alter ego held her and kissed her, and it made his blood boil.

As well, it was more real when he could almost hear the sounds in the palace cell. The dripping of water, the screeching of iron prison bars, and the crying of the prisoners in those cells.

Kaileena watched as all this transpired, watching helplessly as he struggled in his sleep, clutching the earth around him due to whatever he was feeling.

Suddenly, as if being struck by lightning, he snapped awake. Breathing heavily, he gazed around, as if making sure that this was real and he was no longer dreaming.

"Are you okay?" Kaileena asked.

He looked at her, confused. A second later, he nodded, "Yes. I think so." But the truth was, he wasn't. He could still feel this odd sensation that he couldn't place, or didn't want to place.

"Good." She sat down next to him. "I worry when you struggle like that. I worry that one day you're going to hurt yourself."

He smiled, "Thanks for caring Kaileena. But as much as I want to assure you nothing will happen, I don't know anymore. I wish everything was like it was years ago, before my nights were plagued by nightmares and my days by war."

He got up and walked over to the water, splashing his fevered face.

"You're worried about her, aren't you?" he heard Kaileena ask. He knew instantly who she was referring to.

"Yes, I am," he said, "and I hate myself for allowing her to fall into that bastard's hands. I vowed that after what happened three years ago in the Sultan's palace, that I would never let her get hurt again. That I'd always be there to protect her."

"You need to stop beating yourself up about this. You can't change the past. All you can do now is try to get her back."

"You're right. I know, you're right. But still…"

"You're worried he's going to do something to her."

The Prince nodded. "If he's put one hand on her, I swear he'll pay dearly. That's what worries me the most. That's what my nightmare was about."

"That he harmed her?"

"Not…exactly." He seemed embarrassed.

"What then?" she pressed. He gave her a look that told her what he could not put in words. "Oh…"

"I have to get her back. I can't lose her. I promised myself. I should have been there."

Finally, Kaileena snapped. "Ah! Stop it!"

Startled, he asked, "What?"

"Just stop it. Stop beating yourself up because you couldn't stop that creep from taking her! I'm tired of hearing about it. He's got her and guess what? There's not a damn thing you can do to change that! So just suck it up and get on with it!"

"Kaileena!"

"No Cyrus, I'm sick and tired of you talking about her! Get over her! She's mad at you, remember? She's probably happy with him, because she's mad at you. Don't you get that? That's why she was taken in the first place, because she was trying to leave," Kaileena shouted.

Her words stung like a thousand needles, mostly because they were all true. "You don't understand," he said quietly, "what it's like to love someone so much and not be able to do a damn thing about it. To want nothing more than to hold them forever and not be able to. You don't know what it's like to love someone."

With tears in her eyes, Kaileena said, "You're wrong Cyrus. I do know what that's like. I have loved someone…

"Who?" he asked, "Who have you ever loved?"

"You…"


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Prince of Persia. They all belong to Ubisoft.

_Italic text is used for thoughts, dreams and flashbacks._

Only Time Knows

Chapter Six: Realization

Overlooking the sea was a large cliff. Up there the Prince sat alone. Down below was the forest where Kaileena sat by herself as well, weeping silently.

He stared out at the sea, getting lost in the roaring waves and cloudy gray sky that seemed to blend in with the water.

In a few short days his life had gone from perfect to spinning completely out of control. No, who was he kidding, the day he entered the Maharajah's treasure vaults and held the Dagger of Time in his hands was the day his life began to unravel.

He closed his eyes and images of the past played before his mind's eye. Everything, all the happy, sad, funny, and scary times, from the moment he first met Farah to when she was taken from him by the Dark Prince, and also Kaileena's last words to him before she vanished out of sight still rang in his ears: _"You're wrong Cyrus. I do know what that's like. I have loved someone…_

_"Who? Who have you ever loved?"_

"_You…"_

So, Kaileena loved him. Well, he'd kind of guessed when she kissed him back on the ship while they were returning to Babylon. But he thought he'd made it clear they would only be friends.

Then again, it was like him he supposed. Just because someone says they can't love you, doesn't mean your feelings for them suddenly change.

Quietly, he said to himself, "I'm sorry Kaileena, but you and I can never be anything more than friends. Though it kills me to break your heart, I can't deny how I feel for Farah." Then it occurred to him. He loved Farah. He wanted to spend the rest of life with her. He wanted to start a family with her. That was what he should have said when she walked out the door that night. Now he could see everything clearly.

"I will get you back Farah. I promise."

He got up and headed down the mountain. Once in the forest he went to look for Kaileena. He found her exactly where he expected he would.

"Where are you going?" she asked when he passed her.

"I'm going to get her. And I'm going to tell her everything I never did. You should stay here, or hide somewhere else that's safe." He walked away and stopped, "I'm sorry…"

She didn't reply. There was really nothing she could say. His apology was for what she knew it was for, breaking her heart once again.

He continued on and Kaileena watched him go.

_I'm sorry too Cyrus. I'm sorry it had to come to this._ And she took off in the other direction, taking a longer, but safer path to the palace.

In the darkness of the cell, the Dark Prince and Farah held each other silently. There was nothing, at the current moment that they could say to each other. Right now, physical communication was all that mattered.

He stroked her face gently, mentally noting how beautiful he thought she looked.

"What?" she asked with a smile.

"Nothing," he replied leaning down to kiss her again. "I love you, so very much."

"And I love you," she said pressing her lips against his yet again, only much longer this time.

He pulled her body closer to his and she suddenly winced, squeezing her eyes shut and digging her nails into his strong shoulders.

Worried, he said, "What's wrong? Am I hurting you? I'm sorry."

But she shook her head and tried to forget the pain, "No, no it's alright. I'm fine."

"No, you're not fine," he said. He could feel moisture against his own skin. Looking down at her stomach he saw the source of her pain. Just below her left rib there was a huge, black bruise surrounding a gash that was dripping blood.

"You're wounded," he said.

"It's not as bad as it looks," she insisted. She hated it that he was so worried about her. It made her sad to see that he always blamed himself.

But he wasn't listening. He got up and got dressed, leaving her lying there alone on the floor, covered in his cloak.

He picked her up, wrapped in the garment, and set her down on the gurney in the middle of the room. "Stay here. I'll be back soon. I'm going to have words with the Empress."

And much to her dismay, he opened the cell door and vanished down the hall, the door slamming shut with a loud bang behind him.

She let her head fall back and stared blankly at the wall.

When the Prince came to the edge of the forest, he began to become more cautious. The sand army of the Dark Prince's was still after him, and if he was caught then it was all over. Best to be as careful as possible.

Glancing around, he saw that the coast was clear. He dashed into the nearest alley and decided that the best way to get around undetected was to travel where he wouldn't be seen, namely by the roofs of Babylon.

So using windows and doorframes as boosts, he made his way up to the roof of the first house. He leapt from roof to roof, stopping only when it was absolutely necessary. The more time he spent resting, the more time Farah remained in the clutches of the Dark Prince.

The sun was beginning to set, though one couldn't really tell because it had been cloudy all day, and the Prince was resting on a roof, drinking from the flask he'd been carrying since the war began, when he suddenly heard voices behind him.

They weren't speaking any known language, but he knew that by the way they spoke that they were sand creatures. Peering over the roof's ledge carefully, his suspicions were confirmed. Two large sand soldiers were stationed on the next roof over, right in his path. This must be a sentry post.

Not one to quit easily, he unsheathed his sword and dagger (one he carried just in case of emergency, and this was considered an emergency) and leapt onto the roof behind the two creatures. An advantage for him was that sand creatures tended to be good in combat, but stupid when it came to anything else. He was able to approach them without being caught. But as soon as he struck, his cover would be blown. But, he had no choice.

Jumping onto the first sand creature's back, he drove his dagger deep into the soft flesh at the back of the soldier's neck. The soldier let out a roar and tried to grab the Prince, but failed. Its roar alerted the other soldier who tried to swipe at the Prince with its sword. He decided to use this to his advantage.

Flipping over the other soldier, he stood in front of the wounded one. The creature swung his sword and the Prince, at precisely the right moment, not a moment too early or too late, jumped. The creature's blade missed him completely and hit the wounded creature instead, decapitating him cleanly with a splash of blood. The corpse fell to the ground and the head rolled off in the other direction, its cold eyes rolling to the back of its head, and vanished in a few seconds. He picked up the fallen warrior's weapon and put away his own dagger. Facing his opponent he blocked the swings the creature delivered. One of them was too much for his to block and he fell to the ground. The creature reared back for a final blow, but the Prince, moving quickly, swung his sword and cut the creature's legs, the blood splashing his face, and caused it to plummet to the floor. He took his secondary weapon and drove it into the soldier's chest, killing him instantly.

Taking off before anymore showed up, the Prince continued traveling by rooftop.

Kaileena reached the palace much sooner than the Prince, for he was held back by guards with a bounty on his capture. She did not have to worry about fighting any of them as he did. Transforming into the Empress again, she walked through the reception hall, her heels clicking on the marble floor and resounding off the walls.

She settled in the throne and ordered a servant to bring her a drink.

With the knowledge that the Prince would soon be here, Kaileena allowed the Empress to plan out their final move.

_With the Prince coming here, he can see for himself that Farah doesn't love him anymore. And we'll be here to consol him. Finally, he will realize that we've been here all along and he'll finally love us the way we love him._

That sounded like a plan to Kaileena. Soon, she'd be the one getting married to the Prince, being loved by him and perhaps even bearing his children. She could see it now, the glorious life that awaited her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the banging of the hall doors as the Dark Prince stormed in.

"You bitch!" he growled, approaching her.

"Problem?"

"How could you! How could you send your minions to harm her?"

"Oh, are you referring to Princess Farah?" she asked innocently.

He didn't reply; he simply glared at her.

"I take that as a yes," she said. "Well, it had to be done."

"It had to be done? What the hell are you talking about? How can you possibly justify sending your goons to beat, rape or even kill her?"

"I won't lie to you, I hate her. I want her dead."

"She never did anything to you!"

"No? That little whore stole the love that was supposed to be mine! Cyrus was supposed to love me!"

Moving more quickly than she'd ever seen possible, the Dark Prince grabbed her roughly by the neck, "Don't you _ever_ call her that again!"

The Empress wasn't scared of him. "Get off me! I have no more use for you. Prince Cyrus is on his way here as we speak."

Then he understood. He'd been so stupid. "You used me…" he said, "You used me to lure Cyrus here!"

"And it worked too," she replied with a grin.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance. I'm so stupid!"

"Hey, you said it, not me."

He squeezed her throat harder. "Don't make me kill you."

"You won't."

"And why not?"

"Because, you still need me. Once the Prince arrives, once he sees you, he'll kill you. And you can't have that happen. I can-"

Letting her go, he turned and walked away, "Screw you. I don't care anymore. I'm out. I've got what I want. Farah loves me, we're together now. We can leave, and start a new life together somewhere away from here."

"But you'll die," she pointed out.

He stopped in his tracks. "You know it as well as I do. Come on. What are you waiting for? Kill me, release the Sands and save your life. But I think you've forgotten something. Once you release the Sands, without the amulet, which Cyrus destroyed, she is vulnerable to the Sands and will become a sand creature."

He hadn't thought of that, mainly because he didn't know his other self destroyed the amulet.

"Well, consider yourself save then, Highness. I don't care about myself. I won't let any harm come to her, and if I die as a result, then so be it."

And he walked off, not looking back.

As the Prince came upon the palace, there was a rumble of thunder off in the distance. The clouds overhead looked heavy, signaling an oncoming storm.

He got down from the roof and approached the palace from the shadows. A raider was patrolling the front entrance, but he quickly dispatched of him by throwing his dagger into the back of the raider's head.

He picked up the dead raider's weapon and entered the palace. He knew the palace so well he could have traveled through it blindfolded. He crept down the cellar passage at the end of the entry hallway. He heard mumbling up ahead and recognized it as a keeper. Ducking behind a wall, he waited for the keeper to get closer. He passed right by the Prince without noticing him.

Silently, he followed the keeper and when the time was right, he planted a kick at the back of its legs, hearing the satisfying **crack **of its bones as they shattered beneath his booted foot. The keeper tried to let out a cry, but the Prince silenced it with a hand over its mouth and a dagger to the throat. The keeper immediately shut up but the Prince slit its throat anyway, slicing the dagger neatly through its flesh like a knife through butter. He stripped it free of all its garments and put them on himself so that he looked like a keeper. This would allow him to pass through the palace easily.

He walked down the hallway and tried to act casual, drawing as little attention to himself as possible.

"What are you doing here!" a harsh female voice demanded.

For a brief moment, he panicked, believing his disguised had been seen through and he was discovered. That was, until the other sand creature, a blade dancer, continued, "Your orders were clear fool!"

She approached him and held her disc blade up to his throat, "You're supposed to go back to the girl in the torture chamber and finish her off!"

Trying his best to disguise his voice, he replied, "Yes, sorry, I got a little…sidetracked."

"Well, don't let it happen again! If you're caught off guard, that'll be the end for you." She looked him up and down once. "Aren't you a bit tall to be a keeper?"

That was it! He was caught. "You're the Prince!" she gasped. Quickly, before she could call for reinforcements, he grabbed her arm, threw her against the wall and drove his sword through her stomach. She gasped for breath, and he twisted the blade a few times, hearing the muscles squishing almost like someone squishing grapes beneath their feet. That finished her off. The blade dancer slumped to the floor and the Prince removed his sword from her body and continued down towards the torture chamber.

It was just like his dream. The prison, the sounds of screaming from other cells. His heart began to race and he started running down the hall to the room at the end, where he could hear the sound of someone crying.

Opening the door he saw what he most feared. Lying on a gurney in the middle of the room was Farah. She looked terrible; all bruised up and broken. There was blood and tears smeared on her face and she was crying as she stared at the wall blankly.

Racing to her side, he removed the keepers mask and said, "I'm here now. Farah, I'm here."

She stared at him, as if not quite knowing who he was. "I'm so sorry," he said, "This is all my fault."

"No," she said, "It's my own fault. For being so stubborn when you clearly didn't feel for me anymore."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, "I love you. I always have. I'm going to get you out of here."

"A part of me knew you'd come. But I can't leave with you. He won't allow it."

"Who won't?" he demanded, "That…bastard-"

"Don't call him that!" she said angrily.

"Did he hurt you?" he demanded, and for the first time since he arrived in the cell, he noticed her lack of clothing. "What has he done to you?"

"He didn't do anything to me," Farah said, "Nothing that I didn't want him to do."

"You mean…?

"Yes, I gave myself to him willingly. I don't want you to get me out of here, I don't want to leave. He loves me," she argued.

He sensed that they were no longer alone.

"Get away from her," he heard the Dark Prince say.

He turned and faced his alter ego. "You've turned her against me! You've tricked her into loving you, so you can do with her as you please."

The Dark Prince shook his head, "No. That was your own doing. You gave her up; I only got back what was always mine. I love Farah; I can make her happy, like you never could. She's happy with me! She loves me just like I love her, and I won't give her up like you did."

"No! I loved her! I didn't give her up! I couldn't have!" he said.

"You did; you gave her up for that whore Kaileena!"

"Don't speak about Kaileena like that!" he said.

"See!" he accused.

Finally, with great effort, Farah got up and stood between them, one hand keeping the cloak around her small body. "Stop it! Both of you! Stop fighting!" She looked at both the Prince and the Dark Prince. "I've made my choice, and it is my choice, it was not made for me by either of you." She moved towards the Dark Prince and he wrapped his arms around her, "I'm sorry Cyrus, but I choose him."

"No…" He felt like someone had just stabbed him in the heart. "Farah, don't do this," he begged, "You're making a mistake."

She was crying new tears when she replied, "No, actually, I've never been more correct. He's right. He makes me happy. A year ago, when we met up again in the Old Man's house, you told me the old you, the one I met in the Sultan's palace, the one I fell in love with was dead. I was too stubborn to believe you. I thought he was still somewhere deep inside you. But I was wrong. You were right. He was dead, or as close as he could be. But here he is. And I've never been happier."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I'm sorry…" she said.

"Come on," the Dark Prince said, "We're leaving. I'll get you something to wear."

And they walked down the hallway, leaving the Prince alone. He leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. For a while he just sat there in silence. Allowing some tears to fall, he said, "I've failed her, and now, my failure has cost me her. I've lost her for good this time."

He couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand the thought of Farah with the Dark Prince. He couldn't allow her to go through with it. He had to get her back.

That's what he'd do. He'd prove to her, someway, that he still loved her, and then she'd come back to him and he'd never let her go, ever again.


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Prince of Persia. They all belong to Ubisoft.

_Italic text is used for thoughts, dreams and flashbacks._

Thanks to Sophie for part of the battle sequence idea. Love the idea, but I'm probably going to change it just a bit.

Only Time Knows

Chapter Seven: Half a Man

Breathlessly, a shadow, one of the Empress's invisible spies, approached the Empress.

"Mistress! The Prince of Persia has been spotted leaving the prison. He was following the Dark Prince and the Princess."

"They escaped!" she asked.

The shadow cringed at her sharp tone.

"There was nothing we could do Empress," the shadow replied.

The Empress used her powers, catching the shadow by the throat and began squeezing. The shadow clawed at her throat, gasping for air.

"Get me my swords; have them sharpened and ready for me in five minutes. I had better catch up with them or I swear all of you will know the true meaning of pain and suffering!" she said and let the shadow go. The scared servant instantly left to pass on the order and hide incase the Empress decided not to be so forgiving.

The Empress growled to herself. Her plans were unraveling. They should still be here in the palace and she should be going to them and convincing the Prince to join her.

Oh well, she could still salvage it. She just needed to catch up with them before it was too late.

The Prince had never run so fast in his life. Everything was a blur around him as he sped through the city. He was no longer worried about the sand army. He was to angry to care, and they probably couldn't see him anyway.

_I will get you back Farah. I won't let him take you away from me. I lost you before and I'm not going to again. I'll prove to you my love. I will do whatever it takes, even if I have to die trying._

He'd followed the tracks left by the Dark Prince's and Farah's horses. They finally led him to the forest.

Luckily he'd been able to follow them this far, for it was beginning to rain and it would have washed any trace of them away.

The rage that burned within his soul showed him the rest of the way. He knew exactly where he'd find them. So, pausing for only a moment, he dashed into the trees after them.

Riding slowly, Farah couldn't seem to get the Prince out of her mind. She kept remembering everything he'd said to here, even before this happened…

_"Y'know, it takes looking death right in the face to truly realize what's most important to you," he said._

_ "I got to thinking that I couldn't lose you again. I lost you the one time and I'm not going to stand around and let it happen again."_

_"I love you so much, and I promise, from this day forward, nothing will ever tear us apart."_

_"What are you talking about? I love you. I always have. I'm going to get you out of here."_

_"No! I loved her! I didn't give her up! I couldn't have!"_

"Farah?" The Dark Prince's voice snapped her back into reality.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay? You've been a little quiet ever since we left the palace," he said.

"Oh, it'd nothing. I've just been thinking about some stuff," she replied smiling.

"You're thinking about him aren't you?"

"Who?" she asked innocently.

"You know who I'm talking about. You can't stop thinking about him." They came upon a clearing and he stopped his horse, getting down.

Farah followed suit and got down as well. He held out his hand to her and she took it. "Are you happy with me?" he asked as they walked a bit.

"Of course," she replied. "I love you. I've never felt happier then when I'm with you."

"Then why do you keep thinking about him?"

"Look, I love you more than anything. But I had a relationship with him. We were in love too, or at least I thought we were. We were going to get married even. When you've been through so much with someone, it's not simple forgetting about them. It takes time, if I ever forget him." But in her heart, she knew, without a doubt that she'd never forget him. What was happening? Did she still love him as much as she had?

"Alright, if you say so. I understand and accept that. I just don't want memories of him to upset you," he said hugging her.

"Oh…they won't, I promise I won't let them," she replied closing her eyes and savoring the moment.

As he came upon the clearing, the Prince slowed down, making little noise. He peered through the trees and spotted their horses. Moving closer, he saw them, holding each other silently.

His hand moving to his side, he pulled out a dagger. Gripping the hilt with white knuckles, he let out a deep breath and prepared for the final fight.

The Dark Prince broke the silence by saying, "Hey, we don't have to hurry or anything. Why don't we stay here tonight? It looks like a storm is coming and there's plenty of shelter here. What do you say?"

"I'd say that sounds lovely," Farah said.

He gently tilted her chin up and leaned down to kiss her. But just as their lips met, she was torn from his arms. He realized a moment later that he'd actually been tackled and the force of the blow caused him to release her.

Falling to the hard ground with a thud, the Dark Prince felt a heavy weight crushing his chest. When his world came back into focus, he saw that it was the Prince who was on top of him, holding a dagger against the soft flesh of his throat.

He could hear Farah calling to him but the Prince suddenly said, "Get out of here Farah! This is between me and him. I'm going to end this once and for all."

"No!" she cried and ran over to them. She grabbed the Prince's arm and tried to pull him away, but she was just too weak. With a shove of his shoulder, he sent her tumbling backwards, falling to the ground.

Though she might not have been able to get the Prince off him, he sure could. With a bit of difficulty, the Dark Prince managed to get one foot between himself and the Prince. Planting it on his alter ego's stomach, he kicked out and sent the Prince flying back a few feet.

That also knocked air out of his own stomach and he could not get up. Farah crawled to his side and helped him into a sitting position.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Fine," he replied, "But he'd right. This is between the two of us, you need to take cover, this could get messy."

"No, I'm not leaving you," she argued.

"Go!" he said a bit too sharply.

She wanted to argue more, but bit back her tongue and obeyed, taking refuge in the bushes nearby.

Kaileena reached the battle field moments after it started but hid far in the trees so no one could see her. She didn't want her presence known quite yet. Gripping her swords in sweaty palms, she waited for the right moment. This was it, this was the end.

Getting to his feet, the Dark Prince said, "Will you never learn? She chose me. Nothing you can do can change that, and killing me will just end us both."

"I choose death over allowing Farah to be with the likes of you!" the Prince replied.

"Fine," he said shrugging, "It seems that that's the way you want it. Words don't seem to have any effect on you, so teaching you your own lesson seems to be the only thing I can do." The Dark Prince unsheathed his sword and got into an attack stance.

Unsheathing his own sword, the Prince made the first move. With a loud clash of metal on metal, the Prince and Dark Prince were only inches apart, each trying to over power the other, make it so the other was off balance.

Farah watched from the side lines with a pounding heart. She had to do something.

"Don't you understand?" the Dark Prince asked through clenched teeth, "You can't beat me! I have the exact same skills and strength as you do, this is useless."

"I will kill you," he simply said.

"Such big words for someone who's making no progress."

Finally, the force that was being created between them caused them both to stagger backwards.

The Prince swung his sword low, trying to catch his legs, but almost seeing it coming, the Dark Prince jumped, the blade missing him easily. He returned by spinning and kicking the Prince in the jaw. But he too saw this coming and held the blade of his sword up so that the Dark Prince's foot connected with the metal instead of bone.

This continued, each attempting to one up the other, but having their attack either blocked or parried by the other. It was only a matter of time before they became weak from this game.

Sweating and lightheaded, each combatant backed away from their foe but did not take their gaze off them, lest they retaliate and strike them down.

The Prince wasn't giving up so easily. It seemed he could not fight him, but he did have one more trick up his sleeve. Something that was sure to end this. He turned his dagger over in his hand so that he was holding the blade by the tip.

"It's over!" he said triumphantly. And he pulled his arm back, preparing to hurl the dagger at the Dark Prince with all of his strength, so quickly that he would not be able to stop it.

Farah knew what he was about to do. Her heart almost stopped beating. If that dagger hit the Dark Prince, he would die. There was not a doubt in her mind that it would kill him. And she was not going to let that happen. She would not lose him, and worse, she believed him when he said he and the Prince were connected. So that meant if he threw that dagger he'd be committing suicide.

"No!" she cried out.

Without a second thought, just as the Prince let go of the dagger, sending it soaring, she dashed out of the bushes. She ran in front of the Dark Prince, her body blocking his and the dagger struck her right in the side, breaking a few ribs and puncturing her lung.

"Farah!" both cried out at the exact same time.

She fell to the ground and the Dark Prince instantly got to his knees and gathered her into his arms. But the Prince was there in moments as well and shoved him out of the way, picking her up into his own arms.

The Dark Prince, in no mood to argue when Farah was now so badly wounded, simply accepted it and held her hand, the one that was not covering the wound.

"Farah," the Prince said, "Oh no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you."

She smiled faintly at him, "I know…" She cringed and tears fell down her face.

"You have to be alright," the Dark Prince said, his yellow eyes watering, "You can't die."

"He's right," he said not holding back his own tears, "You've got to hold on. Oh God, I'm so sorry."

"Shh," she said, "It's alright. I just don't want you two to fight anymore. I'll be alright."

"We can't lose you Farah," the Prince said, "We need you."

"We love you," the Dark Prince agreed, kissing her hand softly.

"I love you too, both of you," she replied weakly. "I've been thinking…I can't love half a man. There are qualities about both of you that I love and need. I need you, as one person, the person you were meant to be."

The Princes looked at each other hesitantly. Could they really become one once more?

"Please…don't be sad. I've gotten what I've always wanted: Someone who loves me, that's all I have ever lived for." She tried to laugh and said, "Kakolukia, remember?" She reached up with her bloody hand and rested her hand on the side of his face, "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have looked at everything so black and white."

"You don't need to be sorry," he said, "I should be. I should have told you how I felt from the beginning. I should never have doubted our love." He turned to the Dark Prince, "And I should never have allowed myself to forget who I once was, and who I should still be."

The Dark Prince let go of Farah's hand and got up. He walked over to the Prince and asked, "Do you mean that?"

"Of course," he replied.

"So, what do you think? Should we give it another shot?"

He nodded, "Defiantly. There's no use just fighting each other. We're both dying the longer we're separated."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," the Dark Prince said grinning. "Don't forget about me again."

"I won't, I promise. Thanks…"

"For what?"

"For showing me what's really important to me, and what I almost gave up."

"Anytime," he said. The Dark Prince closed his eyes and smiled. "I'll always be here if you any help." And slowly, he began to vanish. The Prince felt an odd sensation, almost as if he were waking up from a dream. He knew, without a doubt, that the Dark Prince was back inside his soul where he belonged.

"I'm glad everything worked out." The Prince turned back to Farah. She seemed weaker.

"Hey, you're going to be okay," he promised her. "Just hold on. I'm going to bring you to the palace. They'll take care of you and you'll be alright again."

"It's too late for me. Just know…that I love you. And I will always be with you," she said, letting her head fall back, and closed her eyes for the last time.

"No…" the Prince said. He held her body close and cried into her hair. "You can't be dead. Farah please, wake up. I need you."

"You don't need her," a voice behind him said.

Startled, it took a moment before he could place the voice. Turning sharply he saw Kaileena standing not too far away, holding two sharp swords in her hands. She looked different, somehow.

"Kaileena, what are you talking about?"

"You have no need for Farah anymore Cyrus. She's gone. It's time to move on. To be with the woman who's always been here for you."

"Kaileena, we've-"

"I'm not Kaileena anymore. Now, I am the Empress of Time!" she declared.

"What!" he asked.

"We told you we loved you, but you wouldn't love us back. No, because you were in love with Farah. I knew we had to get rid of her, that way, we could have you all to ourselves, but Kaileena was not for it, thanks to you and your goody two shoes ways. She was in love with you, as I was, but she didn't want your love if it meant harming someone. But I _needed _you, as I still do. So, I allowed her to see you and Farah together. She was heartbroken and gave herself to me. She allowed me to trick the Dark Prince into providing me an army, to burn down the city and kidnap Farah. Then I almost killed her, but he had to intervene. Farah fell for him and I thought that perhaps you'd finally give up because you'd realize she didn't love you anymore. But you still wouldn't give her up. Well Cyrus, now she's dead. It's finally time you were with a true woman. One who's prettier, smarter, and more powerful. I can make you happy. Just love me, as I have loved you."

"You don't even know what love is!" he said in disgust.

"No?" she asked. She transported herself over to him and kissed him passionately. He pushed her away and backed away from her. He glanced down at Farah's pale body. "Why do you look at her like that?" the Empress asked. "You feel remorse? Sadness? That's because you enjoyed that kiss didn't you? Well, that's just for starters. There are many other ways in which I'm better than her. Both emotionally and physically."

"Don't make me sick," the Prince said. "You're right, you aren't Kaileena anymore. She would never do this. I'll kill you before I ever love you."

"Fine, have it your way, but I won't lose. I guess that's what you want isn't it? To be dead so you can be with your precious Farah again," she said.

She made the first move and the battle was on.

The Prince was propelled by his anger and hatred for the Empress. He used all his skills to keep her off balance and on the defense. She was growing weak as she tried to keep him at bay, but he was lucky enough to land a couple hits, grazing her arms and even bruising her with a few punches.

Their battle took them through the forest and up the mountain. When they reached the top, the large, bleak mountain top served as a great place for Kaileena to fight back, using the vast space to her advantage.

Here, she could kill him, throw him off the mountain if need be. She may have loved him, but he wanted her dead, and it was now a matter of survival of the fittest.

He couldn't believe it. When the order had gone out that the prisoners were to be set free, Omar couldn't believe it. He'd left the palace expecting a starry sky and a peaceful town. But it was the opposite. Babylon was destroyed, and the sound of thunder and flashes of lighting struck fear into his heart.

_Kaileena…_

Where was she? There was no where to hide in all this destruction. He prayed she was alright.

The loss of his hand had caused him to lose a lot of blood, and though the bleed had been stopped, he still felt light headed and weak. He wanted to die right now, let go of the pain he felt in every fiber of his body, but he would not quit until he made sure everyone was alright.

He tripped as he staggered about the rubble, calling out the names of friends and fellow soldiers. No replies came back. He knew the king had been released from the prisons at the same time he was and was safely back at the palace, getting medical attention incase he were injured in anyway, but he had not seen any sign of the Prince, or Farah or Kaileena. He needed to find them, hopefully alive.

Some instinct in him told him he'd find them in the forest just outside the city, so that's where he began to look…


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Prince of Persia. They all belong to Ubisoft.

Only Time Knows

Chapter Eight: Greatest Gift 

"There's no where else to go Kaileena," the Prince said as she backed away from him. "I never wanted to kill you, but this time you've gone too far. You were the cause of all this. I trusted you!"

"See Prince," the Empress sneered," that's your downfall: You're too trusting of people. You haven't seemed to learn that people will stab you in that back all the time, no one can be trusted but ones own self."

"Say what you will, but I've got the upper hand. You won't defeat me."

"We'll just see about that!" she said and charged at him, her swords held high.

The Prince dropped his sword and ducked when she came close. He grabbed her by the middle and threw her to the ground, causing her to drop her weapons. Then, the Empress managed to get the Prince on his back and tried to beat him but he was able to grab her by the wrists and keep her away.

Omar stumbled upon the battle and was shocked to see what he did: Kaileena straddling the Prince trying her hardest to kill him it seemed. And by the wounds on her body, he suspected the Prince attacked her as well.

"Kaileena! Cyrus! What the hell is going on here?" he asked. The sound of his voice alerted both combatants and they froze in place, turning to him.

Omar rushed as fast as his legs would allow and he pulled Kaileena off the Prince with his only hand.

"What have you done to her?" he asked.

"Done to her?" the Prince repeated flabbergasted. "She's the evil one! She caused this whole war. She's the reason you've only got one hand."

He turned to Kaileena, whose eyes were blazing red and she was grinning evilly. "Is this true?"

"Of course."

"But…why would you do this?" he asked.

The Empress pushed him away from her, as if he carried some kind of deadly disease. "Why not? People will do whatever they can to get the people they love right? I wanted Cyrus, and this was the only way. I unfortunately had to sacrifice a few lives in the process."

He was so confused. The Prince turned to Omar, "Don't you see? She has to be destroyed."

"No…" he replied. "No! I won't let you!"

"Omar…" the Prince said, "Why are you protecting her?"

"Because. Wouldn't you protect Farah, even if she was evil?" he asked.

The mention of Farah stung the Prince like a thorn. "Yes…but that's because I love her…wait…"

The Empress was confused, "What?"

"You said it yourself Kaileena, people will do whatever they can for the people they love, even protect them when they know they're dangerous."

Her mouth fell open.

"You mean…you…love me?" It was Kaileena who spoke this time, not the Empress.

He cringed when his hand suddenly began to hurt, but continued, he was making progress. She was in control now, perhaps he could save her. "Sometimes, we love someone, but they don't love us back. And then, the person who loves us is right under our nose, and we don't even know it."

"But…we just met," she said, "Love can't be based on that."

"No?" he asked, "Then why, when I first laid eyes on you, did I feel like I was complete. Why was my mind on you twenty four seven? Why did I dream about you and almost hear your laugh in my sleep. Why is it then, that, even now, when I know you are the cause of all this devastation that you killed without remorse, why do I still think you're beautiful and the most wonderful person on the face of the earth? Tell me, why that is?"

Kaileena was crying by this time. "I never knew."

_No! Don't listen to him, he's trying to trick you! To turn you against me!_

"I'm not listening to you anymore," she said holding her head. "You can't control me anymore!"

Kaileena fell to her knees in pain. The men knew that this was an internal battle, Kaileena was on her own.

"Fight it Kaileena!" Omar said, "You can beat her."

"You've got us here, we love you," the Prince added, "She has nothing. You are more powerful then her."

_They're right! _Kaileena told the Empress. _You can't hurt me anymore. You can't control me. I've got my friends by my side. I have their strength as well as my own. You're finished your Highness. I'm not afraid of you anymore!_

_You should be! I won't go down so easily. You can't get rid of me, not without getting rid of yourself!_

_Then so be it. If I must die, I'm sure as hell going to take you with me._

Kaileena suddenly erupted in flames, but they didn't harm her, she couldn't even feel it. The force brewing between herself and the Empress caused it. She opened her eyes and her tears spilling from her eyes were not water, it was blood.

"I know what I must do," she said.

Omar understood and knew what he too must do. "I'm complete now. You've won Kaileena. Now, I can finally let go. But I need you to do me a favour."

He walked over to her, picking her sword up on the way.

"If you love me as I love you, you will help me. Put me out of my misery."

Kaileena took the sword from him and replied by giving him a loving, passionate kiss, and hesitating only once, drove the sword deep into his stomach.

"Thank you…" he said before dropping to the ground.

She now turned to the Prince. "I'm sorry I cause so much pain." Her voice sounded so far away. "Perhaps, this is my redemption."

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

"The only thing I can do. The Empress must be destroyed, and I must go with her."

"No! There must be another way!" he said desperately.

"My Prince. You have to learn that sometimes things must happen in their own way. You can't keep trying to be a hero and save the world. Just let time run its course."

"I can't lose you. I've lost everybody; I don't want to be alone."

She smiled, giving him almost a motherly smile. "You'll never be alone. Everyone who loves you will always be there for you, in your heart."

"Here," she held out her hand and a glowing light appeared, "This is my final gift to you. It is something that should never have been taken away to begin with." The glowing light shot away down the mountain through the forest.

"And now, I must finally do the right thing. Good bye Cyrus, and thank you. You gave me a second chance, and I can never thank you enough." She blew him a kiss, took a deep breath, and let herself fall off the cliff to the rocky shore below.

The Prince ran over to the cliff and looked over. Far down below, looking like she was sleeping peacefully was Kaileena, the Empress of Time. Slowly, her body turned to sand and blew off into the ocean breeze.

He sank to his knees and hung his head low, and just sat in silence. It was over. Everything was finally over.

Some time passed, he didn't bother to keep track, and soon the storm settled in. There were flashed of lighting and rumbles of thunder, and the rain came down in buckets, soaking the Prince to his very bones. He finally got up and dragged his feet down the mountain, through the forest. He'd return to the palace and have some men come up here and fetch the bodies for a proper burial.

He came back to the clearing and untied the horses from the trees. They'd both been scared to death from the storm and one even ran away. He fixed the saddle on the remaining horse and prepared to pull himself up. But he paused when he heard the sound of moaning.

He listened again, and realized it was coming from behind him. He turned and saw Farah's once dead body, stretching as if she'd just woken up from a nap.

His heart almost stopped when it registered that she was alive. She sat up, a hand to her head and she looked around, "What happened?" she asked. But she suddenly found herself flat on her back again. She realized the Prince, in his excitement, had ran to her and hugged her so hard he pushed her over.

"You're alive!" he said. But his face was buried in her shirt so it sounded more like, "Mer awive!"

"I hope that's a good thing," she said.

He pulled away slightly and said, "Are you kidding? This is the best thing ever!" and hugged her again. "Oh…I thought I'd lost you forever."

She ran her fingers through his hair and said, "How many times do I have to tell you you'll never lose me?"

He wondered how she could be alive when he'd watched her die right before his very eyes. But then it came to him. _Kaileena…_ She'd done this. She'd given Farah back her life.

He held her tight and closed his eyes, enjoying this peaceful moment…

Two years later

The Prince was in his bedroom, standing in front of the mirror, making the final adjustments to his hair. In two years, he'd finally gone back to a princely appearance. His hair was once more short and its natural color, brown. He'd gone for a more adult look and gotten rid of the beard. He'd continued serving in the army but began to participate in fewer battles.

He was going to become king soon, or so his father said. Things were defiantly changing. He'd never forgotten Kaileena, and knew he never would. She'd been an important part in his life. It was thanks to her that he'd realized what he was missing in his life.

Suddenly, a page came rushing into the room, flinging the door open. The poor boy was exhausted and sweating; he'd probably been running.

"Your Highness," the page gasped, "Come quickly, she'd been rushed to the hospital wing!"

"Now?" he asked stunned. The page nodded.

He dropped everything he was doing and followed the page across the palace to the hospital wing. He had been expecting this to happen, but so soon? This wasn't expected to happen for about a week.

His father and the Maharajah, who'd arrived from India a few days ago, waited anxiously outside the emergency room.

King Sharaman said when his son arrived, "She asked for you, you'd better go in there."

Without hesitation, the Prince rushed into the room where the sound of screaming and crying was almost deafening. But not because it was loud or anything, but because it was coming from the woman he loved and it killed him to see her in so much pain.

"Oh thank God you're here," Farah said, her face wet with tears and clutched his hand.

He turned to the doctor who was working on her. "Is she going to be okay?" he asked.

"Yes, there's nothing to worry about. I've handled plenty of cases like this before. She's undergoing a lot of pain, but most people do, she'll be just fine," the doctor replied. He turned to his nurses and ordered them to bring him the necessary supplies. Then he turned to them again. "Okay, now, this is the important part. It is going to hurt but you've got to work with me okay?"

She nodded worriedly.

"It's alright," the Prince said soothingly to her. "It's almost over."

"Alright…now!" And that was the cue for a major wave of uncontrollable pain. Farah did as she was told but that didn't stop her from crying out in pain.

"This hurts," she said through clenched teeth.

"I know," the doctor said, "You're almost there. Come on, just a bit more…"

And as the pain suddenly ceased, the room was filled with another one's crying. Farah fell back against the soft pillows of the bed she laid on, her chest heaving from the strain.

"What is it?" she managed to ask.

"Congratulations, it's a girl," the doctor announced.

The Prince smiled at the news and hugged Farah. "You did it!" he said laughing happily. A part of him never though this day would come. She tried to laugh with him, but she was much too tired.

"Would you like to see her?" the doctor asked. Both parents nodded and he handed the Prince his new baby daughter.

She was crying like mad due to the cold and all this light. He smiled and felt tears come to his eyes. She was so small.

He bent down; low enough to let Farah gently stroke the baby's forehead with his finger.

"Hey there," she said quietly.

"Thank you," the Prince said.

She looked at him, puzzled, "For what?"

"For giving me the greatest gift anyone could ever ask for," he replied.

"Well, if you remember," she said mischievously, "it wasn't all me. You helped a bit too. So…thanks for making me a mommy."

He kissed her on the forehead and asked, "What do you think we should name her?"

Farah thought about it for a moment. She smiled and replied, "I want to name her…Kaileena."

"Really?" he asked.

She nodded, "Mmhm. I think she would've liked us to."

The Prince turned and saw her standing in the corner. Kaileena's spirit, softly glowing blue, was smiling at them. She didn't say anything, and didn't need to.

He turned back to Farah. "You know what? I think she would have loved it."

THE END


End file.
